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THE DIARY 



EM. THE SHAH OF PERSIA 




H.M. THE SHAH OF PERSIA. 

(at home.) 



•V*- N * 



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PX\ 



THE DIARY 



OF 



EM. THE SHAH OF PERSIA 



HIS TOUR THROUGH EUROPE IN A.D. 1873. 
BY j/wi^EEDHOUSE, 

MEMBER OF THE ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY, 

CORRESPONDING MEMBER OF THE ORIENTAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA, 

EXTERNAL MEMBER OF THE ACADEMY OF SCIENCE OF CONSTANTINOPLE, 

ETC., ETC., ETC. 



A VERBATIM TRANSLATION. 



% 



V 



D v 



WITH FORTRAIT. 



THIRD TEOV 



LONDONj 
JOHN MURRAY. ALBEMARLE STREET. 




1874. 






.N 



'3/3 



LONDON : 
BRADBURY, AGNLW, & CO., PRINTERS, WHITEFRf AR8. 



g — ♦-^ 




TEANSLATOE'S PEEFACE. 




1 is not often that a Sovereign, at the com- 
pletion of a tour, addresses his subjects in a 
personal narrative of his adventures, and of 
the attentions with which he may have been 
received by foreign potentates or peoples. Less frequent 
still is it that such a narrative, addressed by an Eastern 
Monarch to those under his rule, is laid verbatim before 
the distant nations whose guest he lately was. 

The Shah's Diary of his Tour through Europe in 
a.d. 1873 is not the firstfruit of his royal authorship, 
nor was that journey the first of his travels. He had 
previously visited and inspected his own Caspian pro- 
vinces of Gilan and Mazandaran, having also journeyed 
beyond his own dominions, to the sacred shrines of Baby- 
lonia. Of each of these excursions he had published a 
narrative for the information of his people, therein 
following a praiseworthy example set by several ancient 
Eulers of his own original Turk nationality. 

Those accounts, equally with the contents of the 

b 



vi Translator s Preface. 

present Diary, were communicated to the Persian public 
in the official part of the Tehran Gazette, and are there- 
fore more or less of the nature of what we daily read at 
home in the " Court Circular; " but with this difference, 
— that they are written in the first person, are personal 
communings of the sovereign traveller with his readers, — 
his subjects. 

As Court Circulars, then, written day by day, they 
naturally contain a proportion of the merely formal 
notices that constitute this class of state documents. But, 
as personal narratives, they are written in the plain, 
unvarnished style of the private gentleman, much as any 
one of us may have used in letters sent home to gratify, 
inform, or amuse friends. 

If the pages of the Diary, however, are thus entirely 
void of all the strained ornamentations of diction supposed 
to be inherent in all oriental compositions of literature, 
they are, on the other hand, brimful of enthusiastic 
expressions of the varied feelings called forth by the 
beauty or novelty of the scenes or manners witnessed, 
and by the genuine gratification derived from the splendid 
and cordial reception everywhere experienced. 

The Shah's continued attention to the charms of 
natural scenery while pursuing his journeys, and to the 
splendid results of agricultural, commercial, or mechani- 
cal skill and industry, as also to the wonders of the sea 
and sky in his vo} T ages, whenever the weather permitted, 
evinces great natural taste. His sustained pleasure in 
visiting the various zoological and botanical collections 
and museums, together with his remarks on these, and on 



Translator' s Preface. vii 

the wild animals of the parks and forests, no less than those 
on the racecourse, show an especially keen talent of ob- 
servation, and a discriminating acquaintance with animate 
and inanimate nature. His scrupulous conformance to 
every tittle of those ceremonious, but graceful observances 
that shape the personal intercourse of royal hosts and 
guests, bespeak the finished courtier ; while the patience, 
the bonhommie, with which he admitted and recorded 
the sometimes fussy, but always kindly and respectful 
advances of every class with which he was brought into 
contact, give proof of a rare adaptiveness. His interest 
in armies and navies is a mere natural impulse in a 
sovereign ; but his visits to factories, public establish- 
ments, schools, hospitals, &c, are witnesses to a strong 
desire for information ; and several incidents of the tour 
have drawn forth spontaneous expressions of deep sympa- 
thy and kind commiseration, such as are the sure indicators 
of a humane disposition. 

On the whole, a more interesting book of the kind 
can hardly be imagined. Even the mistakes occasionally 
made — and they were to be expected as inevitable — are 
easily overlooked by a candid mind, when the obstacles 
of languages, novelty of subjects, and press of time, are 
taken into consideration. The use of the first person 
plural, alternating with that of the singular, when the 
Shah speaks of himself, is in very common use by all in 
the East (to say nothing of the sovereign phraseolog}^ of 
the West), and is balanced by his employing the third 
person plural when mentioning other royal or illustrious 
personages ; though this latter observance of courtesy. 

h 2 



viii Translator s Preface. 

not unknown in several European languages, necessarily 
vanishes in our idiom. Another instance of attentive 
delicacy may be remarked, in the nicely poised modifica- 
tion of the oft-repeated, simple expression " men and 
women " into "women and men." 

The translator wishes, and ventures to hope, that his 
effort to put the whole work into an English dress may 
give to its readers the same amount of pleasure he has 
himself felt hi the performance. May he be further per- 
mitted to express a heartfelt trust that ever-strengthening 
ties of friendly and beneficial intercourse may be facili- 
tated and multiplied, through the effects of this torn, 
between the Court and people of Persia on the one hand, 
and the Western Rulers and nations on the other, — some 
of them then not remotely allied cousins by race, as 
indicated by affinities of language,* and who are no 
longer personally strangers to their travelled Sovereign. 

London, Nov. 1874. 



Note. — In pronouncing the Persian names mentioned in 
this volume, a should always be sounded short and surd, 
as in the first syllables of above, aloft, alone ; a long and 
open as in father ; e as in pen ; i as in pin ; % as in 
caprice ; o or 6 as hi go, and u or u as in rule, but shorter 
when without the long accent. Into modifications we do 

* As instances, the following may bo mentioned : padar, father; madar, 
mother: biradar, brother; dukhtar, daughter; gaw, cow or ox; yiig, a 
yoke; tu, thou; tin, two; marwarid, /xapyapir^s, a pearl, &e., &c. 



Tra,7islators Preface. ix 

not here enter ; and we prefer the use of this old Latin 
"long accent" to > the "dash" used in some works, 
because every scholar knows the value of the old mark, 
and because the new one is based on the erroneous as- 
sumption that " in Italian " it marks a long syllable. 

The simple consonants have their English values, 
excepting that h must always be aspirated, and s always 
be kept hard — never pronounced as z* 

Compound vowels are not known; but of compound 
consonants (in English orthography only, being simple 
letters in the original), ch and sh sound as in English ; 
while kh, as in khan, is the Scotch and German ch, in 
which it is far better to sound only the h, than only the 
k, until the true pronunciation be acquired. Neither the 
hard nor the soft sound of our th is used in Persian ; but 
sometimes t is followed by h, even in the same sjllable, 
both being then sounded separately. 

Doubled consonants in a word, such as Muhammad, 
should be redoubled in pronunciation, as when we say 
mid day, get two, &c. 

The apostrophe, ', has the same use as in English, 
that of indicating a suppressed vowel, as in Nasiru-'d- 
Din. The pair of. marks ' and ', adopted in imitation of 
the Greek " spiritus lenis" and " spiritus aspcr," show 
the suppression of two different originally Arabic guttural 
consonants, the first soft, the second hard, both of a 
choking sound, for which European languages have no 
equivalents, and which are generally dropped in Persian 
conversational pronunciation, the preceding or following 
vowel alone being sounded. Like other consonants, they 



Translator s Preface. 



are both susceptible of being doubled, though no instance 
occurs in the Diary. 



A few explanatory notes have been appended at the 
end of one or two chapters, and some others are inter- 
spersed, in parentheses, through the text. 

The original meaning of the Persian word tuman is — a 
myriad, ten thousand. It became the name of the gold 
com of Persia because this coin, in matters of account, 
contains ten thousand dinar (the Latin denarius), a mite, 
a pice. Its fractions are the hazar (thousand), other- 
wise called hazar-dmar (thousand pice), and qiran (short 
for sahib-qiran, Lord of the fortunate conjunction — a 
title assumed by Tlmur-lang, TimCLr the Lame, Tamer- 
lane), of silver, ten of which equal one tuman ; and the 
shahi (royal), of copper, twenty of which make one qiran. 
The tuman is worth about eight shillings English, the 
qiran about ten pence, and the shahi one half-penny. 
The gold and silver are without alloy, pure. 

The correct name of the Prussian frontier station, 
towards Russia, mentioned in p. 68 as Aidgone, is 
Eydtkuhnen. 

With respect to the weight of the guns and projectiles 
of Fort Constantine, mentioned in p. 57, I learn that 
the heaviest Prussian guns furnished for the forts of 
Cronstadt are of 26 tons, throwing projectiles of 250 
kilogrammes. The Shah's 420 ass-loads may therefore 
possibly be for 520 hundredweights, exactly 26 tons, and 
the weight of the projectile may be about right. 



Translators Preface. 



XI 



I also learn that the number of hands employed by 
M. Krupp, as mentioned in p. 96, is even understated. 
The total amounts to 17,000, of whom 10,000 are housed 
or boarded within the estate of the works; and two 
hospitals, with 220 beds, are available for the sick. 

The message sent by the Shah to the Contessa di 
Mirafiori (mentioned in p. 300), as an act of courtesy, 
was accompanied, in compliment to the King, by the 
presentation of a jewel with the monogram in brilliants 
of His Persian Majesty. 



J. W. K. 





Translator's Preface 
Preliminary Notice 



v 
xix 



CHAPTER I. 

TEHRAN TO ASTRAKHAN ; 26 DAYS. 

Leave Tehran, 1 ; reach Qazwin, 6 ; arrive at Rasht, 13 ; reach Enzeli, 
16 : embark for Astrakhan, 17 ; accident to Russian Admiral, 20 ; 
anchor at Quarantine-ground off the Volga ; ascend river in boats, 22. 



CHAPTER IT. 

RUSSIA ; 14 DAYS. 

Astrakhan. Aspect of the delta, 23 ; reach Astrakhan ; triumphal 
arch ; bread and salt, 25 ; palaces, 26 ; bath and fire-brigade, 27 ; 
theatre ; levee, 28 ; mosques, 29 ; museum, 30 ; leave by water for 
Tsaritsin, 30 ; aspect of Volga, 31 ; Tsaritsin; 31 ; railway to 
Moscow, 32. 

Moscow. Arrive at Moscow ; lodged in the Kremlin, 35 ; Kremlin 
described, 36 ; theatre, 37 ; lower apartments and museum of the 
Kremlin, 38 ; Lazarof College ; ball ; fire brigade ; Ethnographic 
Museum, 40 ; leave for St. Petersburg by rail, 41. 

St. Petersburg. Arrive, 41 ; lodged in the Winter Palace, 43 ; 
theatre, 44 ; review, 55 ; Prince of Oldenburg, 46 ; ball of the 
nobles, 47 ; the Hermitage, 48 ; state banquet, 49 ; Michael theatre, 
50 ; visits, 51 ; the Hermitage again, 53 ; bank ; mint, 55 ; state ball, 
56 ; Cronstadt, 57 ; Peterhof, 59 ; fireworks, 61 ; Tsarskoi-selo, 63 ; 
leave for Prussia, Q6. 



xiv Contents. 



CHAPTER III. 

PRUSSIA, GERMANY, BELGIUM ; 20 DAYS. 

Railway. " Hole in a mountain ; " frontier reached, 68 ; Prussian 
station, 69 ; Konigsberg, 70 ; Frische-Haff, 72 ; Custrin, 73 ; reach 
Berlin, 73. 

Berlin. Palace, 74 ; Potsdam, 76 ; Whitsunday ; relics of Frederick 
the Great, 77 ; mill in ruins, 78 ; palace of Prince Charles, 79 ; state 
banquet ; theatre, 80 ; Zoological Gardens, 81 ; cemetery, 84 ; the 
Empress, 82 ; Aquarium, 85 ; dinner, 87 ; theatre ; coronation of the 
Emperor, 85 ; review, 88 ; dine with the Empress, 89 ; gala night at 
theatre ; Sardanapalus, 89 ; lion of Holstein, 89 ; Order of Black 
Eagle, 90 ; Charlotte Pavilion ; Orangery ; Babelbrig, 91; Frederick 
the Great's tomb, 92 ; Crown Prince's house, 92 ; Parliament ; the 
Ecole-des-Cadets, 93 ; Prince Bismarck's house ; Museum ; visit 
of adieu, 94 ; Aquarium again, 95 ; leave for Cologne, 95 ; M. Krupp's 
factory, 96. 

Rhine Country. Reach Cologne, 97 ; cathedral, 97 ; Botanical Gar- 
dens, 98 ; Zoological Gardens, 99 ; Coblentz, 100 ; Wiesbaden, 101 
Mr. Blundberg's garden, 103 ; Prince Nicholas of Nassau, 104 
Frankfort-on-the-Main, 105 ; the Palms, 106 ; Zoological Gardens,107 
tomb of the Duchess of Nassau, 108 ; the Kur-Saal, 108 ; Emperor 
of Russia at Darmstadt, 110 ; Heidelberg ; Carlsruhe ; Baden troops, 
111 ; Palace at Carlsruhe, 112 ; Baden-Baden, 113 ; Chapel and tomb, 
of Prince of Roumania, 115 ; palace, 116 ; steam down the Rhine, 
118 ; Coblentz, 120 ; Bonn ; Cologne ; by rail to Spa, 120 ; Aix-la- 
Chapelle ; frontier of Belgium, 121. 

Belgium. Spa, 122 ; Peter the Great ; footstep of St. Mark, 124 ; 
procession of the Virgin ; theatre, 126 ; Liege, 129 ; arrive at Brus- 
sels ; the King, 130 ; arrival of the English Officials in waiting, 131 ; 
theatre, 132 ; cathedral ; museum ; Chateau of Laken, 134 ; Zoolo- 
gical Garden ; Hotel de Ville, 13o ; state banquet, 136 ; leave Brus- 
sels ; Ostend ; embark on board the 'Vigilant,' 137 ; cross the 
straits, 138 ; Channel squadron ; arrive at Dover, 139 ; reach London, 
141. 



Contents. xv 



CHAPTER IV. 

ENGLAND ; 18 DAYS. 

Visits of ceremony, 144 ; receptions, 145 ; banquet at Marlborough 
House ; ball at Stafford House, 146 ; visit to the Queen, 147 ; Order 
of the Garter, 148 ; drive to Virginia Water and back, 149 ; evening 
party at Guildhall, 151 ; Woolwich, 155 ; theatre, 157 ; Zoological 
Gardens, 158 ; Naval Eeview at Portsmouth, 160 ; concert at Albert 
Hall, 164 ; review at Windsor, 167 ; ball at Foreign Office, 170 ; 
Tower, 171 ; trip down the river ; the Docks, 172 ; Greenwich Hos- 
pital ; Lord Nelson, 173 ; Naval College ; Observatory ; return ; 
tides, 174 ; state ball, 175 ; to Liverpool, 176 ; emigrants, 177 ; 
Trentham Hall, 179 ; works at Crew, 182 ; Manchester, 183 ; Chis- 
wick, 185 ; Kichmond, 187 ; Lord Eussell ; Whigs and Tories, 188 ; 
receptions ; Lord Stratford de Redcliffe, 189 ; fire brigade, 190 ; box- 
ing, 191 ; Crystal Palace, 191 ; gymnasts, 193 ; beggars ; perambu- 
lators, 195 ; Tower ; St. Paul's, 196 ; Bank, 197 ; Parliament, 198 ; 
Westminster Abbey, 200 ; visit of adieu to Windsor, 201 ; Prince 
Consort's tomb, 203 ; Mme. Tussaud's, 204 ; Crystal Palace, 206 ; 
balloons, 209 ; Albert Hall ; donkey picture, 210 ; St. Thomas's, 211 ; 
Duke of Argyll's ; bagpipes ; sword-dance ; telegraph, 212 ; Albert 
memorial ; Drury-Lane, 213 ; leave London, 214 ; reach Portsmouth ; 
embark in the "Rapide"; reach Cherbourg, 216. 

CHAPTER V. 

FEANCE, SWITZEELAND ; 19 DAYS. 

Feance. Cherbourg, 218 ; Caen, 219 ; reach Paris, 220 ; Jardin 
d'Acclimatisation, 225 ; Bois de Boulogne, 226 ; Diplomatists, 227 ; 
Versailles, 228 ; group of Apollo, 229 ; Canrobert ; Palikao ; Due 
d'Aumale ; Prince de Joinville, 231 ; banquet, 232 ; the Invalides, 233 ; 
M. Cremieux ; M. de Rothschild, 236 ; M. Lesseps ; M. Nadar ; M. 
Tardieu, 237 : M. Larrey ; M. Cloquet ; M. Boure, 238 ; review, 239 ; 
races, 240 ; illumination and fireworks, 243 ; circus, 244 ; Louvre 
246 : Panorama, 247 ; Notre Dame, 248 ; Ecole des Mines, 249 : Luxem- 
bourg, 250 ; Pantheon ; St. Sulpice ; Madeleine ; Palais Royal, 252 
Mint, 253 ; river-baths, 254 ; Gobelins, 255 ; Louvre again, 256 
Tuileries, 257 ; Sevres porcelain, 258 ; the Assemblee Nationale, 259 



xvi Contents. 



Jardin des Plantes, 261 ; party at the Elysee, 266 ; party at the 

Foreign Office, 267 ; Vincennes, 268 ; Sisters of Charity's school, 

269 ; Circus, 270 ; cafes chantants, 271 ; Jardin Mabille, 272 ; leave 

Paris, 273 ; Dijon, 274. 
Switzerland. Geneva, 277 ; Lake of Geneva, 279 ; Vevay ; King of 

Holland, 281 ; excursion into Savoy; 283 ; banquet ; presents ; 

museum, 285 ; M. Favre, 286 ; Swiss system, 287 ; leave Geneva, 288 : 
France again. Aix-les-Bains ; Chambery ; Modane ; Mont Cenis 

tunnel, 289 ; Turin, 291 ; Royal Family; 293 ; Superga ; Synagogue, 

294. 

CHAPTER VI. 

ITALY ; AUSTRIA ; 19 DAYS. 

Italy. Turin Palace, 295 ; dinner-party ; royal presents, 296 ; theatre, 
297 ; wild beasts, 298 ; illumination, &c, 299 ; the Countess di Mira- 
fiori, 300 ; leave Turin, 301 ; reach Milan, 303 ; the Duomo, 304 : 
banquet ; illuminations, 306 ; leave Milan, 307 ; Lake of Garda ; 
Peschiera ; Verona, 308 ; Valley of the Adige ; Ala, 309. 

Austria. Franzansvest, 310 ; Innsbruck, 311 ; Rosenheim ; Trau- 
enstein ; Saltzburg, 312 ; Schonbrunn of Saltzburg, 314 ; Lintz, 317 ; 
Emperor at Penzing, 318 ; Laxenburg, 319 : Knight's Castle, 321 ; 
dinner at Schonbrunn of Vienna, 323 ; Exhibition, 325 ; shooting- 
party, 331 ; screw-pump, 334 ; opera, 335 ; review, 337 ; the Empress : 
evening party, 339 ; leave-taking, 341 ; King of Hanover, 342 ; Saltz- 
burg, 343 ; Innsbruck, 346 ; Schelleberg ; Gossensasse, 347. 

Italy again. Ala ; Verona, 348 ; Bologna, 349 ; leaning towers, 350 : 
theatre, 352 ; library and museum, 353 ; leave Bologna ; Rimini : 
Ancona, 355 ; Brindisi, 356 ; embark for Constantinople, 357 ; Corfu ; 
phosphorescence of the sea, 358 ; Cephalonia ; Zante ; Navarino ; 
Cape Matapan, 359 ; Cape Malea ; Cerigo ; Cape Sunium ; Zea, 360 ; 
Negropont ; Andros ; Psara ; Scio, 361. 

CHAPTER VII. 

TURKEY ; 11 DAYS. 

Tenedos ; Lemnos; Dardanelles, 363; Gallipoli ; Sea of Marmara, 
366 ; Islambul sighted ; steamers and Persians, 367 ; Princes' Islands ; 
walls, 368 ; Seven Towers ; Seraglio Point, 370 ; Bosphorus ; Beyler- 



Contents. xvii 



Beyi ; the Sultan, 371 ; Palace of Beyler-Beyi, 372 ; Golden Horn, 
37G ; receptions, 377 ; Gytik-Su, 378 ; breakfast at Chiragan palace, 

380 ; Chamlija (erroneously called Mount Boulgourlou on the maps) , 

381 ; Prince Yusuf ; Aya-Sofiya, 382 ; Persian Mission ; state banquet 
at Beshik-Tash palace, 384 ; receptions ; trip to Princes' Islands, 386 ; 
Sultana-Mother's vineyard, 387 ; steamers, 388 ; conflagration ; palace 
of Chiragan, 389 ; gardens ; wild beasts, 390 ; bath, 391 ; conjurer, 
392 ; visits of adieu, 395 ; leave for Poti, 396 ; accident to Eshref 
Pasha, 397 ; Sinope ; porpoises, 398 ; birds from the land ; Trebizond ; 
coming storm, 399. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

GEORGIA ; RETURN ; 11 DAYS. 

Storm , 401 ; transhipment, 402 ; land at Poti ; Grand-Duke Michael, 
403 ; Open-Heads, 404 ; railway ; Kutais, 405 ; Tiflis ; palace, 406 ; 
Grand-Duchess ; theatre, 409 ; storm at Poti, 410 ; Bahman Mirza, 
411 ; banquet, 412 ; Tiflis to Baku, 413 ; Ganja, 414 ; Nizami's tomb, 
416 ; Kur ferry, 417 ; Aq-Su— New Shamaka, 420 ; Shamakhi, 421 ; 
Baku, 423 ; embark, 424 ; storm for three days, 425 ; land at 
Enzeli, 427. 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



POETRAIT OF THE SHAH FrontisjricCC. 

(By kind permission of the Proprietors of the Graphic ne-wspaper.) 

The Fan-Tail Posture in Dancing . . . . xviii 

Monogram or Cypher of the Shah, As-Sultan Nasiru-'d- 
DIn Shah Qajar xx 



</ 




The Chetr (Fan-tail) posture in Dancing. 

(From a Persian painting.) 



DIARY OF A TOUR IN 
EUROPE. 

IN THE NAME OF GOD, 
THE COMPASSIONATE, THE MERCIFUL ! 



PKELIMINAEY NOTICE. 




HIS is a Diary of the Tour in 
Europe, which we propose to 
write in auspiciousness and 
sanctification, under the will of God most 
high, the All-powerful, the Matchless, 
the Forgiving, the Beneficent, provided 
that health be accorded us. 

The details of the country between 
Tehran and Enzeli have been formerly 
given in the (account of my) journey to 
Gilan, and therefore require no further 
elucidation here. I will, however, under 
the Divine will, note down the facts 



XX 



Preliminary Notice. 



attendant upon our leaving Tehran, our capital, and any- 
thing interesting that may occur on our road to EnzelL 
Subsequently to that, from the day of our embarkation 
on board ship, the detailed adventures of the company 
will be noted in the diary of the ship, with the help of 
God, and His merciful aid. 




DIARY OF A TOUR IN EUROPE 




CHAPTER I. 

TEHRAN TO ASTRAKHAN ; 26 DAYS. 

ATURDAY, 21s* Safar, 1290 (a.h., i.e., 19th 
April, 1873). — We started from Tehran in the 
intention of prosecuting our tour in Europe. 
It is now a whole year since information was 
given of this (intended) tour in Europe ; and it is also 
some days that we have been suffering from a pain in the 
chest, and a severe cold in the head, so as to be very 
unwell, with sensations of fatigue and weakness ; to so 
great a degree, that I have never experienced the like 
before. 

Placing my trust in God, however, I sallied forth from 
my private apartments, my Grand- Vazir, and others, being 
in waiting to receive me. We tarried awhile, and then 
started, mounting a carriage at the gate named Shamsu- 
'l-'imara (Sun of the Palace). Crowds were assembled 
inside and outside the city, in the streets and roads, and 
elsewhere. We drove to the race-course, where to-day 
races were held. We went up into our pavilion. Masses- 
£,? B 



2 Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap. i. 

of soldiery, and of private people, men and women, were 
assembled. They served breakfast, of which I took a 
little, though without the least appetite. Our master of 
the horse, Timur Mirza, the Husamu-'d-Dawla (Prince 
Tlmur, the Keen Sword of the State), with Hajji Aqa 
Isma'Il, and others of our household, were in attendance. 
The Amm-i-Huzur (Lord Chamberlain, Comptroller of 
the Presence), who had been unwell for some days past, 
was to-day present on duty. 

After breakfast, the horse-races took place. The 
liorses of Murad Beg, Na'ib (Lt. Murad, a Beg), which 
belong to the royal stables, carried off the four first 
flags. The horse of Wajihu-'l-'lah Mirza (Prince Wajihu- 
1-'tah) carried off also a first flag. Iqbal Mahdi-quli 
Khan (Gentleman of the Chamber Mahdi-quli, a Khan) 
carried off the fourth flag in the last heat. 

The races being concluded, the foreign representatives 
were admitted to an audience of adieu, the Grand- Vazir 
and other officials being present. We then mounted a 
carriage and drove to the village of Kan, where the new 
tents of figured and brocaded silks were pitched on the 
hank of a stream. After a while the " Royal Maternal 
Household " came to Kan, and I had an interview with 
the " Shah's mother," who remained there two days. A 
bitter wind was blowing. 

Tuesday, 24th (Safar—22nd April).— Went to the 
royal palace at Kan ; and this same da}-, mounting a 
horse, went out shooting in the rising grounds around the 
village, the Prince Regent accompanying me, as well as 
several of the officers of my household. The Grand 



chap, l] Tehran to Astrakhan. 3 

Huntsman had come out from town, and had found 
some game. Before breakfasting, I shot a buck of two 
years old, with slugs. Thanks be to God, all went off 
pleasantly, and I returned home in comfort. I am 
grateful that my health is perfectly restored, and no 
•sense of weakness remains. It is now the season of 
new green plums, which are still very small, and not fit 
to eat. Green almonds and blossoms on the trees are 
well-nigh over ; yellow and red roses are to be seen here 
and there. Mahdi-quli Khan went to town for one 
night, and came back unwell. 

Wednesday, 25th (Safar — 23rd April). — Eemained at 
the palace of Kan. Dr. Tholozan, and several of those 
who are to accompany me to Europe, arrived to day 
from town. 

Thursday, 26th (Safar — -2Uh April). — Proceeded to 
•Quru-Chay (Dry-Brook), where we breakfasted. The 
brook was much swollen. • Our chief photographer, and 
others of our attendants, were in waiting. Our sun-shade 
tent was pitched in a hollow, and the weather was very 
sultiy. At the time of afternoon worship we returned to 
our station at Kan. The Anisu-'d-Dawla (Familiar of 
Boyalty ; a harem lady) came from town, but somewhat 
in bad health. 

Friday, 21th (Safar — 25th April). — We were at Kan 
in the morning. A vast concourse of officers of the 
household, and others, came from town, the Grand- Vazlr 
being among them. This day, Munlf Efendi, the 
Ottoman Envoy, who has newly arrived, is to be received 
in audience. In this, our first station, they have pitched 



4 Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap. i. 

our tents of figured silks, &c. Four hours and a half 
before sunset we went to our tent, to which the Grand- 
Vazir came. Five of our princes wore their swords at 
our levee. Thanks be to God, the wind is not blowing. 
The Envoy was introduced, with two Attaches ; the 
Charge-d' affaires, Nazim Efendi, came with him for his 
audience of leave, as he has to return to his own country. 
Munif Efendi speaks Persian and French, the former 
particularly well. He is of middle age. Asafu-'d- 
Dawla has arrived. 

Saturday, 28th {Safar — 26th April). — In the morning 
we mounted, and proceeded on our journey to the pass of 
Sulgan, where there is a fine waterfall on the left-hand 
side of the road, with water to turn one mill. They 
pitched our sun-shade tent there, and we breakfasted in 
that spot. The Prince Regent was in attendance, and 
several other princes also. 

Sunday, 29th {Safar — 27 th April). — To-day several 
princes and others, the colonel of a regiment of our 
guards, and our Secretary for Foreign Affairs also, 
though a convalescent from illness, came to our camp and 
were received. Munif Efendi, too, had another audience. 
Aqa Sayyid Isma'il, the jurisconsult, of Bihbihan, came 
to visit me. The Lord Treasurer brought out the 
jewelled regalia that are to be taken with us. 

(Monday, 30th — 28th April, is not mentioned in the 
Diary.) 

Tuesday 1st, Rahi'u-'l-aiuwal (Former Rdbi' — 29th 
April). — In the morning levee all the princes and others 
who had come out from town were received. The 



£hap. i.] Tehran to Astrakhan. 5 

Friday precentor of worship (a kind of equivalent to a 
bishop) came out and offered up a prayer for our 
journey. A son of the precentor of Ispahan also came. 
Five Arab horses, brought for the royal stables, were led 
past our presence, and reviewed ; and then we took our 
departure for Karj. On our road thither we were joined 
by the Grand- Vazir from town, who had good news from 
STstan (the ancient Ariana or Draugiana), which he sub- 
mitted. The Dabiru-'l-Mulk (secretary of state), too, 
mounted on a tall Turkman horse, came out with the 
Grand- VazTr. The Prince Regent received permission 
to depart when not far distant from Kan, and returned 
to town. Several princes followed in our suite ; one 
returned to town from Quru-Chay. M. Beger, the 
Russian Envoy, who is to accompany us to Enzeli, was 
of our party. We arrived at Karj four hours before sun- 
set. We lodged there in the palace. Several of our 
household, our chief photographer, and Dr. Tholozan, 
came from town. Mahdi-quli Khan went out shooting, 
and brought in a female antelope. 

Wednesday, 2nd (30th Aiwil). — Proceeded from Karj to 
Qasim-abad, a distance of five leagues. Weather very 
sultry; dust excessive. One of our princes took leave 
and returned to the capital; our Grand Usher is to 
accompany us to Enzeli. Some join us from the capital; 
others, taking leave, return thither. The duty of acting 
^as scouts and sentinels to our camp as far as Enzeli 
devolves upon the 2nd regiment. Our Chief Groom-in- 
' Waiting, Biwak Khan, returned to town from Kan. 

Thursday, 3rd (1st May). — In the morning mounted 



6 Diary of a Totcr in Etcrope. [chap. i> 

on horseback, many of our princes and officers riding in 
our suite. The Grand Usher had purchased sixty 
horses for the artillery of Azarbayjan (the ancient Atro- 
patene) ; he passed them in review in our presence. A 
troop of cavalry of Makran (the ancient Gedrosia), com- 
manded b} r Hajjl Aqa Beg, were also reviewed. We 
rode a certain portion of the way conversing with the 
Grand- Vazir ; after which we entered our carriage. Our 
station to-day is at Kazran-Sang, three leagues' journey. 
We breakfasted there, where the camp had been pitched 
in a beautiful meadow, where all was green and luxuriant. 
Sari- Asian (Yellow-Lion) came from town and was seen 
(by us). 

Friday, 4th (2nd May). — Mounting our carriage early 
in the morning, we proceeded to 'Abdu-'l-'lah-abad, a 
distance of five leagues ; weather sultry ; dust abundant. 
On reaching the last outskirts of winter cultivation, we 
breakfasted ; but, in the first place, taking our fowling- 
piece in hand, we sauntered about the environs, and shot 
a hare, a quail, and a yellow-hammer (or ortolan, lit., 
yellow-belly). This day I have seen Dr. Dickson ; and 
also Mr. Thomson, Secretary to the English Legation, 
who accompany me to Europe. Mirza 'Isa, governor of 
Tehran, and another official of state, with Mirza Musa, 
paymaster of the forces, took leave and returned to 
Tehran. 

Saturday, 5t1i (3rd May). — To-day we arrive at 
Qazwln ; that is to say, they have pitched our camp at 
Hazar-Jarib (Thousand-acres), near that town. The 
distance to travel is five leagues. Passed the village of 



chap, i.] Telu'an to Astrakhan. 7 

Khak-i-'AH (Ali's-lancl), and others. In the morning, as 
we mounted, the Grand- Vazir brought to the side of our 
carriage the Russian Envoy, with his interpreter, Grebel, 
and we had some converse with him. A body of about 
three hundred irregular cavalry of nomadic tribes was 
drawn out. The Registrar of Azarbayjan was received 
in audience. Lt. Muhammad- Sadiq Khan, of Qara- 
bag, his aide-de-camp, was with him. Several princes 
detained at Qazwin, several of the Doctors (of law and 
divinity), of the nobles and notables of the town, with 
the mayor and aldermen, &c, were presented to us in 
batches b}^ Ilkhani, the governor of the place. We 
breakfasted on the road ; and afterwards a violent wind 
set in. Our Chief Groom of the privy chamber, who had 
remained behind, now joined our party, having ridden 
post from the capital. The cavalry, under the command 
of Asad Khan, of Qara-bag, who is a member of the 
corps of couriers, had come out with the paymaster from 
Azarbayjan, on their way to the capital to be reviewed. 
The son of Asad Khan, who was in charge of them, is a 
nice youth. As we approached the town we mounted on 
horseback, and, conversing with the Grand-Vazir, we 
reached our camp. He, with our permission, went to 
the town. A cold and violent wind was blowing ; and, 
as we had passed the night before with very little sleep, 
we soon felt an inclination to take our repose. 

Sunday, 6th (4th May). — To-day Aqa-Baba, is our 
station. It rained heavily in the morning ; and, though 
it had already rained a certain while, it poured down 
afresh. This rain was of great advantage to Qazwin. 



% Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap. i. 

Ilkhani brought and presented to us Mirza Abu-Turab, 
uncle of the late Mirza Buzurg, the physician, a very- 
aged man. After this, mounting, we passed by the out- 
skirts of the town in conversation with the Grand-Vazlr, 
and reached the high-road to Aqa-Baba. The Secretary 
•of State now left us to return to the capital. To-day, 
differently to what had hitherto been the case, the 
weather was pleasant, with a cool and refreshing breeze. 
The fields are one mass of verdure and blossoms. In 
the gardens of Qazwin we observed a species of thorn in 
bloom, with a flower like a yellow rose, very beautiful 
and pleasing. We gave orders that some roots and 
seeds thereof be taken to Tehran and there planted. 
We took our breakfast in our carriage below the village 
<of Mahmud-abad, so named after a late Shaykhu-'l- 
Islam. A bitter wind was blowing. Several of our 
courtiers were in attendance. We reached our quarters 
four hours to sunset, when an intensely cold wind was 
"blowing with great violence, so much so that it tore 
down all the canvas fences and tents, and continued 
the whole night. No one could go out of doors, and all 
were benumbed with cold, so as to be incapacitated for 
any service. 

Monday, 1th (5th May). — Have to reach Kharzan ; but 
the cold wind and the frost is so intense, that even in the 
severest winter one does not see such, nor has such ever 
been heard of. We rode a couple of leagues in our car- 
riage. Then, the road becoming very bad, we mounted 
on horseback and sent the carriages back. The country 
to-day is all verdant and in bloom ; but the frost con- 



chap, i.] Tehran to Astrakhan. 9 

linues so severe that one could not admire, or even notice, 
the beauty and freshness of the landscape. In spite of 
my having put on a coat and cloak lined with fur, the 
cold was so penetrating that it seemed as if I was devoid 
of all clothing. Below the pass of Kharzan there was 
■a valley with but little water in its stream ; and there we 
breakfasted, several of my princes and officers, with Dr. 
Tholozan, being in attendance. After breakfast we as- 
cended the defile. The mountain of Kharzan has no 
rocks or stones; it is all soft earth, and everywhere 
•covered with verdure, flowers, and odoriferous herbs. In 
many places we saw cultivation without the aid of irri- 
gation. The tribe of Giyaswancl do the cultivation of 
this mountain. General Has an- 'Ali- Khan, one of those 
to accompany me, joined the party to-day. Conversing 
with the Grand- Vazir, we ascended the steep. At the 
top I saw a village, which I took to be Kharzan. On 
enquiry, it proved to be Isma'il-abad, lately erected and 
peopled bylsma'il Khan Giyaswancl, chief of the tribe of 
Giyaswancl. A beautiful spot has he populated, as its 
produce needs no irrigation. From thence we proceeded 
a league and a half to Kharzan. I saw some of our 
princes on the road, and spoke with them. They com- 
plained bitterly of last night's cold and wind, from which 
they had suffered much. Thanks be to God, we reached 
our station. There was then no wind, but a dense fog 
filled the air, with occasional showers of rain. The frost 
was so intense that the water froze as in winter. 

Tuesday, 8th (6th M ay).— To-day we reach Lushan. 
Mounting our horse at daybreak, we set out chatting by 



io Diaiy of a Tour in Europe. [chap. i. 

the way with the Grand-Vazlr, Ilkhani, and the Pajonaster 
(of Azarbayjan). The road hereabouts has been some- 
what improved by order of the Government. Cultivation 
goes on in the valleys and on the hills. Mahdi-quli 
Khan had gone on ahead for a little sport after partridges,, 
and he mentioned having found the yellow jessamine in 
flower in all the valleys. We went over the whole of the 
ground that he had explored. They had erected our sun- 
shade tent. The Shah-rud (King River, which falls into- 
the Saf Id-rud at ManjTl,) was very full of water, and 
extremely turbid. Many of our princes and officers were 
present. Breakfast was served. One of the attendants 
on Prince Wajihu-'l-'lah Mirza, who had plunged into the 
Kufa branch of the Euphrates (when the Shah visited the 
sacred shrines of 'Ali and Husayn at Najaf and Kerbela 
in Babylonia), here also most bravely urged his horse 
into the stream. Truly it was an exhibition of courage. 
"We remained there till the middle of the afternoon, and 
then proceeded towards our station. Below the bridge I 
noticed two carriages, very elegant, which a merchant of 
Shirwan (in Georgia) was taking up to Tehran to sell. 
We reached our station at sundown. They had pitched 
our camp in a wide valley at a considerable distance from 
the bridge. Thanks be to God, there was no wind 
neither. The Grand- Vazir brought us some dispatches 
from the Mu'tamadu-'l-Mulk, which we read. 

Wednesday, 9th (7 th May). — To-day we go to ManjlL 
We started earry in the morning on horseback. Prince 
Husamu-'s-'Saltana joined us from the road to Bakandi, 
which he has recently purchased, and to which he had 



chap, i.] Tehran to Astrakhan. i r 

diverged from our camp at Aqa-baba. We journeyed on,, 
chatting with him, the Grand- Vazir, and Ilkhani. Con- 
trary to what we had experienced for some days, the 
weather was warm, and the flies were numerous. The 
pathway was very bad, and we rode along out of the 
track until we reached the forest of Bala-bala. We 
reached the bank of the river at breakfast- time. At dawn 
to-day we had taken some quinine. After breakfast we 
again mounted and pushed on. During the journey we 
saw Mirza. Ibrahim Khan, Governor of Ralmiat-abad, 
Ni'matu-'l-'lah Khan of Rasht, and Nasru-'l-'lah Khan, a 
Talish-man from Gurgan-rud (on the Caspian). The 
cavalry of this latter chieftain were very well dressed and 
armed. Nearing our quarters, his Reverence the Mulla 
HajjT Rafi', a jurisconsult of Gilan, had an audience. As 
it was not possible to pitch our camp on the same spot as 
in our former visit, at the foot of the cypress of Harzabil, 
by reason of its having been laid under crops, we found 
it erected in a valley near to Manjil, sheltered from the 
wind. In spite of this precaution, a high wind arose in 
the afternoon. It is one of the wonders and singularities 
of nature, that in this valley, at all seasons of the year, a 
violent breeze sets in every afternoon, so impetuous, and 
with such force, that all the olive-trees growing there lean 
over in one direction, according as the blast has impelled 
them. The whole of the lands of Manjil and Harzabil 
are under cultivation, so that the countiy has an aspect 
of fertility and joy. 

Yesterday a snake bit one of the tent-pitchers, and 
Dr. Tholozan treated him ; according to his report, the 



12 Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap. i. 

man's life is saved. Hereabouts snakes are very numerous 
(as was found by Marc Antony when he invaded the 
country). 

Thursday, 10th (8th May). — Rustam-abad is our next 
station. We started rather later than usual, and journeyed 
on, conversing with the Grand- Vazir ; also we had an inter- 
view with Mulla RafP the jurisconsult at the foot of the 
bridge of Manjil, which spans the Safld-rud (White River), 
&nd over which they pass who journey to or from GTlan. 
Formerly there was a wooden bridge here, the passage 
over which was very difficult for caravans ; but a few 
years since a strong stone bridge has been built at the 
cost of the public exchequer, and under the superintend- 
ence of his Reverence HajjT Mulla Raf I*. His Reverence 
is in the same state of robust health that he enjo} T ed 
when we first saw him, eight years ago. Passing his 
bridge, we pushed on to FTl-dih (Elephant-village), and 
in the very spot where we had breakfasted several years 
before, in our journey to GTlan, did we take our morning's 
meal to-day. The oranges are in bloom, and the pome- 
granates have just done flowering. The length of to-day's 
journey fatigued me. We reached our quarters three 
hours to sunset, and found the tents pitched on the river- 
bank. As we journe} T ed to-day we saw mairy swimmers 
and bathers amusing themselves in the river, along which 
our road lay. 

Friday 11th (9th May). — We go to Imam-zada Hashim. 
Mounted at dawn, and journeyed conversing with the 
Grand- Vazir. In some places the path was bad to-day ; 
tthat is to sa} T , that above Rustam-abad some places were 



chap, i.] Tehran to Astrakhan. 13. 

under water, and a distance of over a thousand feet was- 
veiw deep with mud. In other places again rocks and 
stones abounded. Here and there I was forced to dis- 
mount and walk; and, as I conversed in one place 
with the Grand- Vazir, the foot of his horse slipped hx 
the mucl, and he was thrown; fortunately, he was not 
hurt. It was reported, however, that one man had fallen 
from his beast; and, upon enquiry, I found it was an 
attendant of the Ammu-'s-Saltana, who had fallen from a 
mule, and was killed. Some of our princes, &c, received 
permission to go on from this station to Kasht. A bridge 
(now completed) over the Siyah-rud (Black Eiver) has 
also been built, under the care of Mulla Eaf V, with the 
public money. There was, however, but little water in 
that stream, and a child might have waded across it. 
Sometimes again it runs with so full and impetuous a 
flood as to be unfordable by horsemen. We reached the 
mouth of this stream, where it falls into the Safid-riid, at 
breakfast- time. There was a pretty meadow, and we sat 
down in the shade of a tree, several of our household 
being in attendance. As we approached the end of our 
day's journey, the mountains were left behind, and we 
entered on a level country, where my droshka had been 
prepared for me. Mounting this carriage, I drove to the* 
vicinity of our station. 

Saturday, 12th (10th May). — To-day we arrive at the 
town of Easht. Last night the air was very cold. Eising 
betimes, we rode a certain distance on horseback ; then 
took our seat in the droshka, and drove on. The Eussian 
Envoy, with M. Grebel, the interpreter, was waiting by 



14 Diary of a Tour in Eitrope. [chap. i. 

the side of the carriage, and we had some chat with them. 
The sun was very hot. The nightingales every now and 
then sang in the woods. "We passed the villages of Sara- 
wan and Shah-Aqachi. Below this latter we saw the 
Mu'tamadu-'l-Mulk, who had come out from Rasht to 
meet us; and also the Sa'idu-'l-Mulk, Mirza 'Abdu-'r- 
Rahlm Khan, who had come from St. Petersburg with 
Prince Menschikoff, appointed to attend upon us. The 
Hakimu-'l-Mamalik, commissioned from Tehran to go 
and meet the Russian officials sent to attend upon us, 
also joined our party. "We took our breakfast in the 
shade of some forest trees on the left-hand side of the 
Toad; and before we had gone very far forward from 
thence, we observed on the road a very handsome bazaar, 
entirely built of bricks and mortar. We were informed 
that the Mu'inu-'t-Tujjar-i-Gilani, in partnership with 
some others, had erected this bazaar. From Lahijan a 
large company of Doctors of law and divinity, &c, had 
come forth to meet us. Near to the town (of Rasht), 
Their Reverences Hajji Mulla Rafi', Hajji Mulla Tahir, 
and Hajji Mirza, 'Abdu-'l-Baqi, jurisconsults of the town 
of Rasht, formally met us. There we dismounted from 
the carriage and got on our horse, the Grand- Vazir and 
the Russian Envoy being also on horseback, and con- 
versing with us. A large concourse of women and men, 
inhabitants of Rasht, also came out to ; meet us. Six 
hours to sundown we reached the Nasiriyya Palace, where 
a tent had been pitched for us. At one hour and a half 
to sunset Prince Menschikoff, in attendance on us, Colonel 
Bazak, special aide-de-camp of the Emperor of Russia, 



-chap, i.] Tehran to Astrakhan. 15 

the Eussian Envoy, with his interpreter, M. Grebel, and 
the Hakimu-'l-Mamalik, were admitted to an audience. 
Prince Menschikoff is a personage of distinction, one of 
the notables of the Eussian empire, and a special aide- 
de-camp general of the Emperor ; he is about sixty years 
of age. 

Sunday, 13th (11th May). — In the morning we mounted 
•our horse and started for Enzeli, passing through the 
whole of the town and bazaar (of Easht). Multitudes 
were assembled along the road as far as Biisar. From 
henceforward we rode in our droshka. They have made 
the road to Pira-Bazar very nicely. At this latter place 
we breakfasted in front of the gate of the custom-house. 
Here they had prepared barges and man-of-war boats, 
&c. ; and after breakfast we mounted a barge to go off to 
the small steam-vessels that were anchored somewhat far 
from the mouth of the river. One of these belongs to 
our own Government, and has been very nicely fitted up. 
Two others belonged to Eussia. In one of the latter 
the Eussian Envoy, Admiral Sivnikin, and Dr. Tholozan 
were mounted; in the other was a Eussian band of 
musicians ; while we embarked in our own ship, which 
hj our orders had been recently built and despatched. 
Whatever is necessary as an ornament, whether plate- 
glass or sumptuous cabin furniture, is all present in this 
ship. It has a speed of three leagues per hour. After 
viewing and admiring her cabins, we went on deck, where 
an awning of embroidery in flowers upon broadcloth 
formed a shade. The Eussian Envoy presented the 
Admiral in an audience. We remained a sufficient time 



1 6 Diary of a Tour in Ezirope. [chap. t. 

for all our party to embark on board our vessel, princes 
and household officers. Orders were then given for the 
ship to proceed, and four hours to sunset we arrived at 
Enzeli. Immediately upon this, the Grand- Vazir, the 
Mu'taraadu-'l-Mulk, and the Ammu-'s-Saltana proceeded 
to the Russian ships that were anchored in the offing of 
Enzeli, in order to arrange the berths of each of our 
attendants and the stowage of our effects. Five ships 
had come by orders of the Russian Government ; all men- 
of-war, acknowledged by the Russian State, but not fast 
ships. The vessels owned by " The Company" are more 
commodious than the men-of-war, and of greater speed. 
These men-of-war will not go with us, but will return (to 
their stations) from Enzeli. Our quarters are in a tower,, 
built by our command by our Minister of Foreign Affairs 
when he was governor of Gilan, and subsequently fitted 
up by Mirza Muhammad-Husayn while he was acting as 
deputy-governor of Gilan for the late Nizamu-'d-Dawla. 
It still wants a little of completion, which the Mu'taniadu- 
'1-Mulk will see to. This tower is of five stories, and 
each story has a saloon and a balcony all round. It is 
entirely built of bricks, stone, and lime ; excepting the 
balconies, which are of timber, painted. All kinds of 
needful furniture, as carpeting (or its substitutes, matting, 
floor-cloth, &c), chairs, tables, candlesticks, &c, are there 
existing and ready. The view from this tower, on all 
four sides, is over the sea. Well; a cold wind was 
blowing, but the night was one of beautiful moonlight. 
It was settled that we should embark to-morrow. There 
was an exhibition of fireworks at Gaziyan. 



chap, i.] Tehran to Astrakhan. ij 

Monday, litli (12th May). — To-day, God willing, we 
embark on board ship, and, under the Divine favour, 
proceed to Hajji-Tarkhan (Astrakhan, lit., the Tarkhan, 
the pilgrim to Makka — a Tarkhan having been a kind of 
superior feudal baron with the Tatar and Mogul sove- 
reigns, by one of whom probably the place was founded). 
We rose early in the morning. Looking out over the 
sea, we saw an unbroken line of boats and barges, con- 
veying men and effects from Enzeli to the ships. The 
air was rather hazy, and a light wind was blowing on to 
the shore. This rather alarmed us. After awhile, how- 
ever, the air cleared up, the haze disappeared ; but, as 
the sky was somewhat threatening, it was judged better 
to hasten our departure. I sent therefore for the Grand- 
Vazir, and ordered all my suite to embark. I then came 
down from the tower ; and the jurisconsult, Hajjl Mulla 
Rafi', offered up a prayer for our vo} T age. A wonderful 
assemblage of all sorts and conditions had collected. In 
the first place I embarked in my own steamer, and in her 
proceeded to the " Constantine," sent on purpose for me. 
Prince Menschikoff and the others in attendance were on 
board. We waited another couple of hours while the 
baggage and our followers were being shipped, and then, 
five hours to sunset, the ship's anchor was got up, and 
we started. Three of the men-of-war present incessantly 
fired guns, and got under way, one ahead of our ship, 
one astern, aud one on each beam. After awhile they 
stopped; and our ship then put on full speed. This 
vessel has beautiful cabins ; all with embellishments, and 
sumptuous, and clean by rule. Servants were on board, 



1 8 Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap. i_ 

specially sent from St. Petersburg", of the Emperor's 
household, with all the requisites for taking coffee, &c. 

The following is the list of the personages who accomr 
pany us to Europe : — 

1. Those on hoard the " Constantine," our own ship. 

The Grand- Vazlr. 

The Mu'tamadu-'l-Mulk. 

The <Azdu-'l-Mulk (Privy Seal ; cousin to the Shah). 

The Court Secretary. 

The Aminu-'s-Sultan. 

The Sani'u-'d-Dawla (Private Secretary to the Shah)- 

The Aminu-'s-Saltana. 

Mahdi-quli Khan (a chamberlain). 

Dr. Tholozan. 

The Chief Photographer. 

Gulam-Husayn Khan. 

The Muhaqqiq (Court collector of information). 

The Chief Groom of the Privy Chamber. 

Farrukh Khan. 

Prince Wajihu-'l-'lah (cousin to the Shah). 

Ja'far-quli Khan. 

The Chief Groom of the Coffee-Service. 

Aqa Biz a, Corporal. 

Mirza 'Abdu-'l-'lah, (Groom of the Privy Chamber). 

Mirza <Abdu-'r-Kahim Khan, the Sa'idu-'l-Mulk 

(Minister Plenipotentiary at St. Petersburg). 
Prince Sultan Husajm Mirzii. 
Hajjl Haydar, Special Barber. 
Aqa Hasan- 'Ali, (Water-Bearer). 



chap, i.j Tehran to Astrakhan. 19 

Aqa Muhammad- 'Ali Jabbar, (Groom of Coftee- 

Service). 
Three attendants of the Grand- Vazir. Aqa Baqir. 

2. Those on board the ship " Baratinski." 

The 'Azzu-'d-Dawla. 

The I'tizadu-'s-Saltana (great-uncle to the Shah ; 

Minister of Commerce). 
The Husamu-'s-Saltana. 
The Nusratu-'d-Dawla (uncle to the Shah). 
The 'Imadu-'d-Dawla. 
The 'Ala/u-'d-Dawla. 
The Ilkhani (Governor of Qazwin). 
Hasan- f Ali Klian, (Minister of Public Works). 
The Paymaster- General of the Forces. 
The Haklmu-'l-Mamalik. 
The Ihtishamu-'d-Dawla. 
The Nasru-'l-Mulk. 
The Mukhbiru-'d-Dawla. 
The Shuja'u-'s-Saltana. 
General Hasan- 'Ali Khan. 

Mirza Eiza Khan, (Aide- cle- Camp to Grand-Vazir). 
Lt. Ibrahim Khan. 

Mirza, Ahmad Khan, (son of the 'Ala'u-'d-Dawla). 
Two Equerries. 
One groom. 

Eight servants to members of the suite. 
M. Dubeski, (Austrian Envoy). 
Mr. Thomson, (Secretary of Legation of England). 
Dr. Dickson, (Physician of Legation of England). 

c 2 



20 Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap. i. 



Names of the horses : — 

The horse Julfa. 

The horse Zillu-'s-Sultan. 

The horse Jan. 

The horse Sabahu-'l-Khayr (he with a " blaze " in his 
forehead). 

(The horse of) the Husamu-'s-Saltana. 

Dr. Tholozan informed me that the Bussian admiral 
had been opening a bottle of soda-water, when the bottle 
burst and a piece of the glass flew into his eye, so as to 
make him blind of that one eye. I afterwards saw the 
admiral, who had put on blue spectacles. I enquired 
of him what had happened, and he narrated the same 
circumstances. I was grieved. Towards the middle of 
the afternoon, when I went up on deck, I saw the " Bara- 
tinski " was a full league distant. I slept in great comfort 
during the night. 

Tuesday, 15th (IBth May). — At sunrise we had reached 
the commencement of the promontory of Absharan (The 
Waterfalls ; Cape Abcheran, of Black's Atlas ; C. 
Aspheron or Shakoo, of General Monteith ; the pro- 
montory of Baku). The more we advanced, the more 
and the better did the land of the promontory become 
visible. These coasts are arid and treeless, and are 
included in the district of Bad-Kuba (Wind-beaten; 
Baku) ; many tamarisk-bushes were growing on them, 
and in some places rocks were visible. The ship hugged 
the shore so closely that the men and animals thereon 
were distinguished. On the central point of the pro- 



chap, i.] Tehran to Astrakhan. 21 

Hiontory, a square tower is built for the purposes of a 
sea-lamp (lighthouse) ; and around it several houses of 
stone for the attendants of the tower. On our right 
there .was an island (Sviatoi, of Black; Piralagai, of 
Monteith), on which we observed some large buildings. 
On enquiry I learnt that they were a manufactory for the 
purification of naphtha, but are at present unoccupied, 
there being no one on the island. From what was said, 
the proprietor had been ruined. Here they stopped the 
ship for a short time, while the Grand- Vazir wrote some 
telegrams, which he gave to be carried to Bacl-Kuba, to be 
from thence telegraphed to Persia and to Europe. The 
sea was calm until about two hours to noon ; then, little 
by little, it became agitated, so that the waves rolled 
mountains high, and eveiyone on board was taken unwell, 
excepting ourselves, our Chief Photographer, the Sani'u- 
'd-Dawla, the Corporal, and Dr. Tholozan. We were 
not cast down, but proved our self-possession. The 
whole of the officers and crew of the vessel were cast 
down also, with the exception of the admiral and a few 
of the sailors, &c. In fine, we should have been caught 
in a peril of great magnitude, but the Divine mercy 
encompassed our situation, and a favourable breeze sprung 
up astern, carrying us more quickly forward to our 
desired haven. All night, until dawn, the sea continued 
thus agitated and billowy ; in spite of which, however, I 
slept a little. Basing at dawn and looking out at the sea, 
I saw it was still boisterous. I desired the admiral to be 
called, and with him I examined the chart that I might 
know our exact position. The admiral gave me an 



22' Diary of a Totcr in Europe. [chap. i. 

assurance that in ten hours' time we should arrive off the 
mouth of the river Volga, where there would be but four 
or five cubits (or ells, of forty-two inches each), of water, 
and that therefore the sea would be smoother. In the 
middle of the afternoon we saw some sailing vessels ; 
and among them was one bound on a vo} r age to the 
coasts of Langaran and Mazandaran. We also saw a 
man-of-war steamer, named the "Iran." One hour and 
a half after nightfall we arrived at a place called the 
" Quarantine," beyond which large ships cannot enter. 
It was therefore necessary for us to leave our steamer 
and go on board a small vessel that would carry us to 
Hajji-Tarkhan. Our ship anchored in that spot, and we 
dined. They who had been sea-sick and unwell gradually 
recovered. After dinner Prince Menschikoff brought 
and presented the Governor of Hajji-Tarkhan, who was 
named M. Pipine, and who had every appearance, to 
one's eyes, of being a man of integrity and ability. He 
spoke French well. On leaving our presence he returned 
by night to Hajji-Tarkhan, so as to be in attendance on 
our arrival there. The small vessel that is to carry us 
to the city is named the " Coquette," and is very hand- 
some. After the time of night Divine service, we went 
on board this vessel ; another, similar to her, having been 
provided for our suite, and a small steam-tug taking us 
in tow. This night I enjoyed a delicious and comfortable 
sleep. 




CHAPTER II. 

RUSSIA ; 14 DAYS. 

EDNESDAY, 16th (14*7* May).— Arrived at 
Hajji-Tarkhan. At dawn I rose and looked 
around. Thanks be to God, we have escaped 
from the high sea, and have entered a large 
river named the Volga, which has a great charm. This 
stream is very wide ; so much so, that the one branch of 
it which we were navigating is at least a thousand ells 
{about 1200 yards) across, and an ordinary musket-ball 
would not carry from bank to bank. Its waters are 
turbid, and flow with a rapid current, so as to raise 
waves like those of the sea. The banks are everywhere 
clothed with green forest-trees, common willows and 
Egyptian willows ; the land is all grass and pasturage. 
For the most part these regions are inhabited by tribes 
of pagan Kalmuks, who pitch then felt tents by the side 
of the streams and rear vast herds of cattle, horses, 
mares, oxen, sheep, &c. We saw also some large villages, 
Russian villages, pertaining to the district of Hajji- 
Tarkhan, and standing on the banks of the river. Seen 
from a distance, they appear to be of considerable extent 
and very populous. In each village a church has been 
built, very fine and majestic. The occupation in general 



24 Diary of a Tour in Etcrope. [chap. n. 

of the people of these villages is that of fishing. As our 
vessel came opposite to each of these villages in suc- 
cession, the inhabitants flocked to the river-bank, and 
cried out . hurrah ! They did not appear to have any 
gardens or sown fields, excepting in one instance where 
we saw a very large mansion and an extensive garden of 
trees in a village at a distance, belonging to the tribe of 
Sapogenikoff. They had shot down a good quantity of 
dead fishes into their vessels, and had made the banks 
of the river stink. Such fishes as they had not been 
able to salt and preserve, and which had consequently 
putrefied, they cast into the river. The water of the 
Yolga is very light of digestion. We noticed many birds, 
such as magpies, crows, and cormorants (? lit., great 
piscivorous starlings), flying in the air ; we shot one of 
each of the latter as they flew past. We saw two small 
vessels with steam and sails, laden with merchandize. 
We thus continued our course, until about mid-day the 
mass of Hajji-Tarkhan began to appear, the first building 
seen being the large church of the cit} r , which is very 
lofty and majestic. The city is like an island encom- 
passed by two or three branches of the river. One large 
branch skirts the town, and another branch passes 
through it, being spanned by many bridges, and its banks 
occupied by streets and houses. It has numerous 
mosques, the greater part of which belong to the Tatars, 
one very fine one belonging to the Muslims of Iran 
(Persia). Well, we arrived at the town. Skirting the 
town were all kinds of craft, and windmills in abundance 
were seen. Astonishing multitudes of men and women 



chap, ii.] Russia. 25 

were congregated, of various nationalities; — Tatars, 
Russians, Persians, Cossacks, Circassians, Kalmuks, &c, 
in groups on groups, were in the streets and thorough- 
fares, continually shouting hurrahs at each spot we arrived 
at along the course of the river, until we reached the 
landing-place and our vessel stopped. It then wanted 
four hours and a half to sunset. 

This day, early in the morning, Mirza Malkani Khan, 
and Nariman Khan, with MTrza Asadu-'l-'lah Khan, our 
Consul at Tiflls, and Mirza MIka'il, brother of Mirza 
Malkam Khan, had come down from HajjI-Tarkhan and 
joined our party on board ship. 

Descending from the vessel, we landed. The instant 
we put our foot on shore, the whole of the men and 
women assembled there simultaneously raised a loud 
shout of hurrah! It was an extraordinary crowd, a 
strange hubbub of voices. In the streets and thorough- 
fares men and women were standing, as closely packed 
as the space would hold. They had raised a triumphal 
arch of great altitude and of imposing appearance. A 
triumphal arch is customary to be erected on the arrival 
of sovereigns in a town. From the landing to the 
triumphal arch the passage was carpeted over. In con- 
formity with a Russian custom, observed by them when 
the Emperor or a King, but no one else, arrives in a town, 
the mayor brought forward bread and salt. On the salt- 
cellar of gold, and on the gilt silver salver, on which the 
salt and bread were presented, the date of our arrival at 
HajjI-Tarkhan had been inscribed. An open carriage 
harnessed with four handsome horses, and the coachman, 



26 Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap. ir. 

Eussian fashion, standing with the reins in his hand, was 
in waiting. We made Prince Menschikoff mount this 
carriage with us. A troop of mounted Cossacks followed 
as our escort, and a crowd of men and women, old and 
young, ran along by our side shouting hurrahs. Dust 
and noise there were in plenty. Everywhere, by the 
sides of the streets, in the balconies, and on the roofs, 
were people standing to witness the spectacle, until we 
reached the Government House, in which they had ap- 
pointed our quarters. A battalion of troops was drawn 
up in military order opposite the gate of the Government 
House, all handsome young men, dressed and armed in 
the most desirable manner. I dismounted and walked 
down their line. They saluted me with military honours, 
and shouted hurrahs. We then entered the house. 

The edifice of the Government House is a very im- 
posing and spacious structure, full of inhabited apart- 
ments. By the sides of the staircase by which one 
enters the house, and which leads to a great hall, nume- 
rous vases of flowers had been collected especially for 
our reception. The house contains many apartments 
and halls, reception-rooms, dining-rooms, bed-chambers, 
&c, all furnished and decorated. In most of these they 
had served sweetmeats, sherbets, fruits. The stoves of 
the establishment are the reverse of the ordinary Persian 
hearths, — that is, in a corner of a room a portion of the 
wall forms a kind of projection, which is tesselated with 
white glazed tiles, and behind this they light the fire. 
Tubes are arranged within this projection, and through 
them warm air comes into the room. 



chap, il] Russia. 2 7 

The bath of this establishment is on the ground floor, 
and one descends to it by a flight of many steps. The 
bath-room was elegantly fitted up with chairs, tables, 
couches ; perfumes, flowers, and the like, were collected 
there in abundance of varieties. In one corner was a 
basin with two taps for water, hot and cold, so that the 
temperature of the water in the basin could be regulated 
and kept to any desired degree of heat. The floor of 
the bath was covered with a very soft mat. At a certain 
point there were a few wooden steps, with a kind of trap- 
door at the top ; and whenever it is desired that hot air 
enter the bath-room, they open it. There were many 
taps for hot, cold, and tepid water, all round the room. 

When I quitted the bath, M. Dubeski, the Austrian 
Envo}^, and Mr. Thomson, Secretary of the English 
Legation, had an audience of leave, being introduced by 
the Grand-Vazir ; they precede us to Moscow. After 
them, the Governor of HajjI-Tarkhan, Prince Menschi- 
koff, Colonel Bazak, and M. Grebel, came and enquired 
whether we would feel an inclination to witness the 
practice of the fire brigade. We having signified our 
assent, the " alarm " was given — i.e., the signal was given 
that a fire had broken out, and caused a general pertur- 
bation. This signal was displayed on a tower that 
dominates the town. Immediately, from every ward the 
firemen presented themselves with their wheeled fire- 
engines and their ladders, the horses of the engine of 
each ward being of a special colour. No sooner were 
they assembled in the square in front of our quarters, 
than their officer feigned that fire had broken out in a 



28 Diary of a Tour in Ezirope. [chap. n. 

building that stood on one side of the square. Instantly 
did they direct the whole of their engines on that build- 
ing, and incessantly did they discharge water upon it. 
They performed a very fine exercise. 

In the evening there was an illumination in front of the 
house, and after dinner we went to the theatre, where the 
air was excessively hot. The theatre is small, and the 
crowded state of the audience was wonderful. The house 
has two galleries ; no more. As soon as we entered the 
curtain rose, and various actings were produced. At 
first we might have imagined that the players were figures 
of pasteboard ; but, little by little, it became evident 
that they were human beings. Thrice did the curtain 
rise, and three different plays did they enact. Each time 
the curtain fell, an interval of a few minutes elapsed ere 
it rose again. This interval was of sufficient duration 
for us to go from the pit of the theatre to an upper 
chamber by the side thereof, and to become somewhat 
refreshed from the heat, when we returned. Had it not 
been for the heat, the sig'ht would have been something 
worth witnessing. 

Thursday, 11 th (15th May). — This is the day of the 
festival of the nativity of His Holiness the Seal of the 
Prophets (i.e., of Muhammad ; whom we vulgarly call 
Mahomet), upon whom, and upon whose household be 
salutations and benedictions. And to-day we have to 
start by water for Tsaritsin, from whence we shall pro- 
ceed by railway. 

Early in the morning we breakfasted, and then went to 
the state saloon to hold a leve'e, to which all the nobles 



chap ii.] Russia. 29 

and notables of Hajj I-Tarkhan, and all the officers of the 

regular and irregular forces in garrison there, came and 

were presented. The levee over, we mounted a carriage 

and drove to the mosque belonging to the Muslims of the 

ShI'a sect, the Precentor of which is Mulla Muhammad- 

Husayn, of Tabriz, — a very agreeable man. Again, 

to-day, through whichever street we passed, the people 

ran by the side of our carriage shouting hurrahs. Rain 

had fallen in the night, and had laid the dust of the 

streets. The mosque is in the form of an upper chamber, 

reached by a wooden staircase. Arrived there, we found 

a great concourse present, of merchants and others, 

subjects of Persia, all being of the Shi'a sect. They were 

received in audience. The princes of our suite were 

there also. We there acquitted ourselves of our noon 

and afternoon service of Divine worship. After the 

service, Mulla Muhammad-Husayn, the Precentor, recited 

a glorious Khutba (discourse, sermon ; vide Lane's 

' Modern Egyptians,' p. 85, 1. 26) in the Arabian tongue ; 

following upon which, a certain Mulla Ahmad, of Rasht, 

a Licentiate of Law and Theology, recited some Persian 

verses of his own composition. 

From thence I went to the mosque of the Tatars, 
where a large congregation of Tatars and of Doctors of 
the Sunni (Traditionist) sect were assembled. Men of 
handsome form and features met my sight, who offered 
prayers for me. One of their Doctors ascended a pulpit, 
and recited a Khutba ; he also presented me with a copy 
of the Qur'an (vulgarly known as the Koran). The build- 
ing of this mosque is similar to that of the Shi'a sect. 



o 



o Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap. h. 



Next I proceeded to an establishment where are pre- 
served various relics of Peter the Great, Emperor of 
Kussia. I saw there two large boats built by Peter the 
Great with his own hands, and more especially one of 
them that is ornamented with very fine carvings. There, 
too, are portraits of Peter and Catherine. An immense 
glass tumbler was also shown, out of which it is well 
known that Peter the Great drank wine with Prince 
Menschikoff, ancestor of the very Prince Menschikoff 
who is in attendance on us. There was also a large 
chair presented by Catherine to the Governor of HajjT- 
Tarkhan of her day : and further, a law book {query, 
charter), which Catherine sent for the inhabitants of 
Hajji-Tarkhan. Again, there were the carpenter's tools 
of Peter — his saw, chisel, axe, &c, with which he built 
vessels. On the walls were certain ancient weapons and 
warlike instruments suspended, such as fire-arms, &c. ; 
and outside the door, on either side, a pair of old bomb- 
shells. These are not devoid of some interest. 

I now got into nry carriage and drove to the steam- 
boat named the "Alexander," belonging to "the Com- 
pany," and embarked in her, my suite being already on 
board. She is a very handsome vessel, with excellent 
and spacious cabins, elegantly fitted up. Five hours 
to sunset she got imdei way. Besides her other good 
qualities, she is a very fast boat. On our passage we 
noticed several vessels on their voyage from Tsaritsin to 
Hajji-Tarkhan, and with a numerous company of mixed 
passengers on board. 

The river Volga, as before mentioned, is like a sea ; 



chap, ii.] Russia. 



i.e., in some parts is so wide that the banks cannot be 
seen. Large islands are embraced in its channel ; exten- 
sive villages are found on its banks. On the right bank 
of the river (in ascending) an enormous and beautiful 
temple was noticed, which belongs to the idolatrous 
Kalmuks. The whole of the banks of the river, where 
visible, are hilly, with grass and trees forming a pleasant 
aspect. Herds of swine, piebald and black, were pas- 
turing on shore. The flesh of these animals is eaten by 
the inhabitants of the countries bordering on the river. 
No other river of equal magnitude and with equally beau- 
tiful sites on its banks was seen by us in those parts. I 
could not for one moment cease to admire them. The 
vessel never stopped. At nightfall we dined, and subse- 
quently retired to rest. 

Friday, 18th (16th May). — When I arose in the 
morning it was evident that it had rained heavily all 
night. The river banks are like those seen yesterday, 
but the number of villages is less. A telegraph from the 
Dabiru-'l-Mulk was received and read : " On the 16th of 
this month (Wednesday, 14th May,) a typhoon of furious 
wind occurred in Tehran. The inhabitants of Tehran 
were in a state of alarm lest this typhoon should have 
assailed us at sea." At three horns and a quarter to 
sunset we arrived at the town of Tsaritsin, from whence 
the railway commences. 

Tsaritsin is built on an eminence on the bank of the 
river Volga, the length of the town following the course of 
the stream, and a branch of the river flows through it, 
dividing the town into two parts united by a bridge, over 



3 2 Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap. n. 

which people pass from one section to the other. Multi- 
tudes were assembled from the town and its environs. As 
soon as the vessel anchored, on board of which we were 
travelling, the railway train that was to carry us forward 
made its appearance. We performed our devotions, and 
then came out of the ship's cabin. The Governor of 
Saratov, within whose jurisdiction the town of Tsaritsin is 
situated, was presented. His name was Gavkin Varafski. 
He was a noble, pleasant-faced man, and had come a great 
distance. The Chief of the Nobles of Saratov, &c, and 
many officers of all kinds, were assembled and were pre- 
sented. There was also an excellent band. The landing- 
place was beautifully decorated, and the Persian flag 
hoisted over a triumphal arch. After giving audience to 
these who had thus come to receive us, we returned to 
the ship's cabin, performed our devotions of sunset, and 
dined, proceeding to the railway one hour afterwards. 
The Governor of Hajji-Tarkhan here took leave and 
returned. 

From the wharf, for a certain distance, the railroad 
was illuminated on both sides. Our railway carriages 
are a special train of saloons for the use of the Em- 
peror, very handsome, spacious, and beautifully fitted 
up. They contained mairy different apartments, dining- 
saloons, sleeping-carriages, reception-saloons, all fur- 
nished with lamps, tables, chairs, sofas, and couches. 
They all communicated with one another, so that one 
could go and come from end to end of the train. Those 
of our suite who accompanied us on board the " Constan- 
tine " were placed in the same saloon with ourselves ; our 



chap, it.] Russia, 



princes and the rest following in a separate train. This 
is the first time we travel on a railway, and very nice and 
comfortable it is : it goes five leagues in an hour. 

Eising in the morning (17th May) it became evident 
that during the night we had been passing through a 
beautiful country; for, whichever way we looked out over 
the land, we saw green fields, meadows, flowers, grass, 
tented tribes, mares, sheep, swine, &c, and every two or 
three leagues a handsome, populous village. These parts 
are celebrated for their productiveness. Everywhere we 
looked we saw sown fields that required no irrigation, or 
else grass lands. We crossed a large and handsome 
bridge over a stream, full of water, that flows into the 
river Don. Every now and then we passed over smaller 
bridges in great numbers. At distances of two or three 
miles were guard-houses for the care of the road ; and a 
few leagues apart were stations. A "station" is a place 
where the trains stop to have their wheels greased, and 
where the passengers take coffee and refreshments ; so 
that it really is a post-house. These stations are prettily 
built ; and at each of them there are always several car- 
riages for the conveyance of passengers and merchandize. 
To-day we are passing through the government of Tam- 
bov; and at one of the stations we alighted from our 
carriage, and found a concourse of officers, troops, 
women, and men assembled. We walked down in front 
of the line and inspected the troops, who were all fine 
young men and well armed. This station was at the 
town of Borisoglebsk, the whole of the civil and military 
functionaries of which had come out to meet us. After 



34 Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap. h. 

receiving them we returned to our carriage and continued 
our journey. Our road now lay chiefly through forests 
of fir and pine. The pace of the train was such that we 
overtook the flying crows, passed them, and left them 
behind. Emerging from the forests, we again came upon 
cultivation, meadows, and open country. At this season 
the crops in these parts are not more than one finger- 
joint out of the ground. 

We now arrived at Kozlov, where we found all the 
local authorities assembled, as well as a crowd of spec- 
tators. It is a fine town, and a handsome hotel of large 
dimensions was by the roadside, in which they had pre- 
pared a breakfast. The nobles and wealthy men of 
Russia have here a breeding stud, where very fine horses 
are reared. They brought several for our inspection. 
A few Russian generals and officials were presented in 
audience. After a stroll we returned to our train, and 
shortly proceeded on our journey. In less than every 
half hour we passed by a very large village. The night 
found us still continuing our onward course. Early in 
the morning (of May the 18th) we traversed a long 
bridge over a river (the Oka) that falls into the Volga, 
having passed Riazan about midnight ; and two hours 
after daylight we reached the station of Faustovo, where 
our train was made to wait until the other, with our 
princes, &c, should come up. We then all of us put on 
our state dresses for our entry into Moscow. Prince 
Dolgoruki, the Governor of Moscow, an old and vene- 
rable man, full of honours and dignities, had come here 
to meet us, and was admitted to an audience in our 



chap, ii.] Russia. 35 

carriage. M. Garnasoff, the interpreter of His Most 
Exalted Majesty the Emperor, was also introduced to 
our presence, having been sent by the Emperor. He is 
a very old man, and has visited Persia. 

We now proceeded till the city of Moscow appeared in 
sight. The cupolas of its churches — all gilded, the 
magnificent houses, the gardens, the parks, the summer 
residences, the manufactories, were well seen. We ar- 
rived at the station — the terminus, where the train stops, 
and where an immense multitude of men and women 
were assembled. We alighted from the train. The Go- 
vernor of the city, the Generals, the Civil Functionaries, 
were all there. The crowd was beyond all calculation. 
A carriage and four, with escort, and with footmen in the 
splendid liveries of the Emperor, awaited us. The 
Grand- Vazir, the princes, the officers of our household, 
and the rest, were placed in other carriages, forming 
a cavalcade behind us. In this manner did we pass 
through the streets ; everywhere marvellously thronged 
with women and men, until we reached the gate of the 
citadel-palace of the Kremlin, which is one of the grand 
palaces of Eussia — nay, of all the Franks. It has a 
brick wall of great height and ancient construction, 
being situated on the top of a hill-like elevation, and 
so overlooking the city of Moscow. The arsenal and 
armoury are also within this palace, and we passed near 
them. There is a very large gun placed in the entrance 
to the palace, such that few so large will be seen. The 
bell of the church of Moscow, which fell down in times of 
old and was broken, is near the Arsenal. No bell of its 

D 2 



36 Diary of a Tour in Etirope. [chap. n. 

size is visible in any other place. Cannon captured from 
the first Napoleon in the battle of Moscow are collected 
in the Arsenal. 

At length we reached the steps of the palace. Count 
Lensdorf, Marshal of the Palace and Intendant of the 
Parks and Domains of Moscow, a pleasant-looking young 
man, who speaks French extremely well, showed us the 
way, and explained the details of the palace. I really 
cannot undertake to write a description of the Palace of 
the Kremlin. We went up many stairs, so constructed 
as to be mounted with the utmost comfort. In the corri- 
dors are huge columns of porphyry and other stones. 
The middle part of the staircase and corridors is car- 
peted. As one goes up the stairs, one sees on the right 
hand a picture representing a battle between the Russians 
and the Moguls. Thence one enters a large saloon, and 
from it passes into the still vaster Hall of the Knights 
of St. George, i.e., of those who are decorated with the 
insignia of the Order of St. George, the names of every 
one of whom, ancient or recent, is inscribed in this hall, 
which is very spacious and lofty, with large candelabra 
and chandeliers. Thence one passes to the Throne- 
Eoom, — also a very large, oblong, and lofty hall, on a 
dais in which the throne is placed, embroidered with a 
crown, seated on which the Russian Emperors are 
crowned. Still passing on, I entered two or three other 
rooms, and from thence to the sleeping apartments. 
From the hall there is a door leading to a kind of terrace, 
from whence the whole city of Moscow and the surround- 
ing country is visible, and where I walked about a while. 



chap, ii.] Russia. 37 

In this palace they have executed some surprising 
works in the art of converting lime (or plaster) into 
stone, so that the plaster is as lustrous as a mirror, and 
as hard as stone. There are some beautiful columns in 
these rooms ; for instance, two columns of porphyry, 
lofty monoliths, in the bed-chamber ; while in the hall 
there are many columns of malachite. All the stairs are 
of marble. The number of apartments in the palace, up- 
stairs and downstairs, is so great that a stranger would 
lose himself among them, and that one cannot inspect 
them all in a day. There are large numbers of crystal 
and china vases in it; also a small winter-garden, like 
the orangeries (conservatories) of Tehran, contiguous to 
it, and filled with strange exotic flowers, brought and 
cultivated there, — very pretty. The palace has a pic- 
ture gallery, — an oblong hall, filled with ancient paint- 
ings in oil, — very fine pictures, and set off with rows of 
large china vases. 

After dinner, a meal partaken of before the sun had 
gone down, we started for the theatre. Crowds were in 
all the streets. Arrived at the theatre we went upstairs, 
passed the crush-room, and took our seat in a box 
fronting the stage, — the place where the acting is per- 
formed. The theatre is of large size, and was built by 
the Emperor Nicholas. It has six tiers of seats, and all 
of them were crowded with women and men. A large 
chandelier is hung in the middle of the theatre. Prince 
Dolgoruki, the Governor of Moscow, sat in our box. 
The curtain rose, and a strange world made its appear- 
ance. A large number of dancing- women set-to dancing. 



38 Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap, n. 

This dancing and performance is called a ballet, i.e., a 
performance and dance without speaking. In its course 
they both dance and perform in various ways, which it is 
not possible to describe. Opposite the audience and 
below the stage there were also a great number of musi- 
cians who unceasingly sounded their instruments. Every 
now and then a light, produced by electricity and variously 
coloured, was thrown from the corners on to the stage ; 
this had a very pleasing effect. The dancers, too, every 
now and then changed their costumes. Such dancers 
as danced well were applauded by the audience clapping 
their hands, and crying "bis," i.e., "encore." At the 
conclusion of one act the curtain fell ; and after a quarter 
of an hour, when people had reposed somewhat, the 
curtain again rose and another act was performed. At 
the end of one act, I went to another box near to, and 
looking on to, the stage. Our princes and attendants 
were seated in our first box. Five times did the curtain 
rise, and five times was a different kind of play brought 
out. It lasted till midnight. The theatre was extremely 
hot. We went home. The name of the director of the 
theatre was Gavelin. 

Tuesday, 22nd (20th May). — We remained at Moscow. 
This day we visited the lower apartments of the Kremlin, 
where the jewelled regalia, ancient crowns of the Empe- 
rors, &c, are collected; and these we inspected. It is a 
magnificent edifice, apartment within apartment, being 
both an armoury and a crown-jewel office. All the 
various articles are tastefully arranged in glass cases ; 
ancient porcelains, gold and silver utensils, objects of 



chap. iL] Russia. 39 

curiosity and virtu, spoils taken in battles, &c. ; and all 
were pointed out to us by the custodian and registrar, 
whose name was L Soloviessa. Among them were some 
things taken from Charles XII. of Sweden by Peter the 
Great at the battle of Pultawa ; especially the litter on 
which Charles, after being wounded, caused himself to be 
carried about as he gave directions for continuing the 
fight ; also some of the flags of that king. There were 
about ten crowns, — crowns of the old sovereigns down 
to the time of Peter the Great, most of them set with 
fine precious stones in gold of old-fashioned work- 
manship : there were jewelled sceptres, and one without 
jewels that had been used by Peter the Great ; there 
were old royal robes and dresses, and others more 
recent ; also the furniture of the chamber of Alexander I. 
and of that of Peter the Great. I saw two thrones set 
with turquoises and gold and other precious stones, 
which had been sent as presents to the sovereigns of 
Russia by Shah 'Abbas, the Safawl (i.e., of the race 
of the Shaykh Safi or Sanyyu-'d-Dm, who lived in 
the days of Timurleng, and whose descendant in the 
sixth degree, his great-great-great-great grandson, Shah 
Isma'il, founded the Safawl djmasty of Persia in a.d. 
1501 ; the title of Son, or Sophi, attributed to the 
kings of this dynasty by European writers, being an 
ignorant corruption of this word Safawl). I also saw 
two saddles, with their equipments, jewelled, sent by 
the Ottoman Sultan ('Abdu-'l-) Hamid Khan to the 
Empress Catherine ; also the boots of Peter the Great 
and of Alexander I. ; and furthermore, a colossal marble 



40 Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap. n. 

statue of Napoleon I. There were also some ancient 
carriages. 

From thence I went to visit the Lazarof College, a 
beautiful place of education, where Armenian, Muham- 
madan, and Kussian youths are taught the Oriental and 
European languages. The name of the superior was 
Delianof. Eeturning from the college, the generals and 
military officers stationed at Moscow were received in 
audience. The General commanding-in- chief the whole of 
the forces in Moscow, a tall old man, was Gildenstol. In 
the evening I went to the theatre, and saw some nice 
acting. From thence to the house of Prince Dolgoruki, 
to a ball. As his wife was dead, his niece, daughter of 
his sister, did the honours of the evening. 

23rd (Wednesday, 21st May). — In the morning I 
mounted a carriage and for a space drove about the 
streets of Moscow. The companies of the fire-brigade 
went through a portion of their exercise ; and afterwards 
I went to the Ethnographic Museum, a fine building, in 
which they have collected wax images of all the different 
tribes and nationalities subject to Russia, each dressed in 
its special local costume, so as to look like living men. 
There I also saw the arms and implements of the savages 
of America and Africa, which are exhibited as curiosities. 
There is also a library said to contain two hundred 
thousand volumes. Whenever the Emperor visits Moscow, 
he resides in the apartments on the ground-floor of the 
Kremlin; and these too we went through. They are 
beautiful rooms ; and nothing can be conceived finer than 
the furniture there seen, the porphyries, the balustrades of 



chap, ii.] Russia. 41 

marble, the tables, chairs, looking-glasses, and couches. 
In the Emperor's own room there were the skins of two 
bears shot by himself and serving as rugs in front of 
couches. Having finished this survey, I drove to the 
Nicholas terminus, the end of the railway to St. Peters- 
burg ; as, under God's will, we go to-night to that city. 
The streets were illuminated all the way from the 
Kremlin to the terminus, and vast crowds of citizens 
lined the road and showered upon me the extremest 
tokens of respect and reverence. 

The population of Moscow is three hundred and fifty- 
one thousand souls. The Order of my Portrait was con- 
ferred upon the Governor of Moscow. Our princes were 
put into my own carriage, in which I dined and then lay 
down to sleep. 

24:th {Thursday, 22nd May). — Awaking in the morning, 
I saw that both sides of our road was a forest of firs. We 
crossed two iron bridges of great length, carried over two 
wide valleys, of which the one was waterless, the other 
possessing a stream. After a while the road passed over 
a large river named the Wok, which is spanned by a very 
long iron bridge that carries the railway over. This 
river forms numerous backwaters, among which are large 
numbers of villages. We proceeded until we came to 
a station where we alighted amidst an immense crowd, 
and some officials of the Ministry for Eastern Affairs were 
presented by Stramakof, the Under-Secretary of Prince 
Gorchakof, and an elderly person, but very shrewd, able, 
and diplomatic. We had a little conversation, and then, 
re-entering our carriage, we continued our journey. 



42 Diary of a Tour in Ettrope. [chap.il 

Nearing St. Petersburg, we put on our state costume, 
ready for our arrival. When the train stopped at the 
terminus, His Most Exalted Majesty the Emperor, with 
the Nawwab ! the Heir- Apparent, and his other sons, as 
also the whole of the princes of the Imperial House, the 
Commanders-in-Chief, and Generals of the army, were 
there. His Most Exalted Majesty the Emperor Alex- 
ander II., Autocrat of all the Kussias, received us with 
the perfection of warmth and friendship. The Nawwab 
the Grand Duke Nicholas, Commander-in-Chief of all the 
Eussian forces and brother of His Most Exalted Majesty 
the Emperor, handed in a state of the forces stationed at 
(St.) Peter (sburg). The Nawwab the Grand Duke Con- 
stantine Nicholaievich, another brother of His Most 
Exalted Majesty the Emperor, was also present. In short, 
giving our hand into the hand of the Emperor, we walked 
forward on foot. Very many officials in uniform lined the 
passage, and we thus reached the head of the street known 
by the name of Newsk}', which is a very wide and long- 
street, with houses three and five stories high on both sides. 
On each side of the streets there are stone pavements, 
while the middle is of wood, which makes no noise when 
carriages pass over it. Whenever a vehicle passes over a 
stone pavement, a disagreeable sound arises therefrom ; 
but they roll along over the wood noiselessly and with 
great comfort. 

At length we took our seat with the Emperor in an 
open carriage, the air being serene and the sun shining. 
Both sides of the road, the balconies, and the roofs, were 
full of men and women, who shouted hurrahs. Inces- 



chap, ii.] Russia. 43 

santly did we and the Emperor bow to the people. For 
a while we drove on, until at length, passing beneath an 
arch and a lofty gateway we entered the square in front 
of the Winter Palace. In this square there is a very tall 
and stout column of stone, a monolith, bearing on its 
summit a statue in metal of the Emperor Alexander I. 
Leaving the square we entered the palace, and went 
upstairs with the Emperor. Decidedly there were at least 
a thousand officers and generals on the steps and stairs, 
and in the halls. We passed through rooms, each one 
more sumptuous than the other, and more perfect. 
Beautiful paintings, columns of porphyry, tables of choice 
stones, chairs, vases, and other articles of furniture im- 
possible to describe in writing, (did we see) ; especially a 
vase of malachite was there, at the head of the staircase, 
most choice. The Emperor pointed out the rooms one 
by one, until we reached the apartments allotted to us. 
There the Emperor took leave and went to his own resi- 
dence. The Emperor is a man tall of stature and majestic, 
who speaks with great gravity, and walks with a stately 
gait. We sat down a while, and then Count Alderberg, 
Minister of the Court of His Most Exalted Majesty the 
Emperor, and a very pleasant man, of robust frame, came 
and brought to us from His Most Exalted Majesty the 
Emperor, the Order of St. Andrew set in diamonds, with 
its blue riband, — the most noble of all the Eussian orders. 
After the lapse of a minute or two we went to return the 
Emperor's visit. He was standing in his own chamber. 
Taking each other's hand, we sat down, our Grand-Vazir 
and M. Gamazof, the Emperor's interpreter, being pre- 



44 Diary of a Tour in Ettrope. [chap. n. 

sent. A long and pleasant conversation ensued. The 
Emperor has two very handsome black slaves, dressed in 
the costume of Constantinople, who waited on us. In a 
few minutes we rose and returned home. After an interval 
we set out to return the visit of the Nawwab the Heir- 
Apparent. The residence of the Heir- Apparent is at a dis- 
tance from the imperial palace. The Nawwab the Heir- 
Apparent is a young man of graceful form, and about 
twenty-five years of age. His wife is the daughter of the 
sovereign of Denmark. Having sat there a little while, 
we took tea, chatted considerably, and returned home to 
dinner. About the hour of sunset His Most Exalted 
Majesty the Emperor came to our quarters ; we mounted 
a carriage together and drove to the theatre. The air was 
so cold that we stood in need of a wadded cloak. The 
way was long. We alighted at the door of the theatre, 
mounted many steps, and took a seat in a box facing the 
stage. In this box were the Emperor, I, the Heir- 
Apparent, the wife of the Heir- Apparent, the Grand Duke 
Constantine, the rest of the Emperor's sons and of the 
imperial family. The pit was filled with officers, generals, 
&c. This theatre has six tiers of seats, and every tier 
was full of women and men. The Persian princes and 
others of our retinue were present. The chandelier hung 
in the middle of the theatre was lighted with gas, which 
burnt beautifully. But the theatre of Moscow was larger, 
and its players were better than here. As soon as the 
curtain fell the first time, we went to another box. Here 
we saw the French Ambassador, a very old man, named 
General Le Flo ; also the Ottoman Ambassador, Kyamil 



chap, ii.] Russia. 45 



Pasha. When the curtain was again raised we went with 
the Emperor to a lower box nearer to the stage. Two 
acts were played here, after which we returned home. 

25th (Friday, 23rd May).— In the morning Prince 
Gorchakof, the Eussian Prime Minister, came to us, and 
with him we had a long conversation, M. Grebel acting 
as interpreter. Prince Gorchakof is a man of great intel- 
ligence and shrewdness, and is seventy -five years old. 
After he had left, His Most Exalted Majesty the Emperor 
came, and we went together in a carriage to the Champ 
de Mars, i.e., the parade ground, where more than twenty 
thousand troops were drawn up, infantry and cavalry. 
Crowds of spectators, women and men, stood around the 
square. A tent somewhat like a sun- shade tent was 
pitched in one part of the ground, in which were the wife 
of the Nawwab Heir- Apparent, the foreign representatives, 
and our princes. After going down the whole of the 
lines of infantry and cavalry with the Emperor, we came 
to the vicinity of that tent and took up a position, 
sitting on horseback. The troops then marched past us. 
Two buglers on horseback, posted behind the Emperor, 
conveyed his orders to the troops by notes of their bugles. 
First came a company of Mussulman cavalry of the Guards ; 
next the regiments of Foot-Guards in various beautiful 
uniforms ; then the other troops followed, artillery and 
infantry ; and, lastly, some squadrons of cavalry, all hand- 
some young men, with choice uniforms and powerful 
horses all of the same colour. 

The review being over, we went as we were, on horse- 
back, to the house of the Prince of Oldenburg, where we 



46 Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap. n. 

became his guests at breakfast. His house looks on to 
that square. The daughter of this prince is the wife of 
the Nawwab Grand Duke Nicholas, brother of His Most 
Exalted Majesty the Emperor, and she was our hostess and 
mistress of the house. She is a lady princess very much 
venerated. We went upstairs ; our princes, the Grancl- 
Vazir, and others were present. At this breakfast 
members of the imperial family alone were invited. 
Before breakfast we saw the maidens that study at a 
college, under the protection of the Empress, and also 
their teachers. The Empress herself is not at (St.) 
Peter(sburg) ; having a chest complaint, she is gone to 
Firangistan (Europe). We now sat down to table. The 
wife of the Nawwab Grand Duke Nicholas, mistress of 
the house, was on my right, and His Most Exalted Majesty 
the Emperor sat on my left. The Emperor conversed 
with Dr. Tholozan. I too conversed in French. 

Breakfast over, we mounted our carriage at the same 
time with His Most. Exalted Majesty the emperor, who 
went to his house at Tsarskoi-selo, one of the imperial 
summer residences outside of the city, by railway ; for he 
has to return to town and be present at a ball given to-night 
in the club of the nobles. We took a little turn in the 
museum of the Hermitage, which adjoins our quarters. 
It possesses some splendid jewels and various objects 
worthy to be seen. I made the resolution to visit them in 
detail on another occasion, if God so will. 

About midnight I went to the ball of the nobles. The 
chiefs of the nobles met me at the foot of the staircase. 
The Emperor had come there beforehand and was 



chap, ii.] Russia. 47 

awaiting us. He came forward ; we took each other by 
the hand, walked about a while and then sat down. There 
was a numerous assemblage of women and men. The 
following is the arrangement of this edifice : In the middle 
there is a very large hall, which is the place for dancing ; 
around this and looking down on the hall is a gallery where 
people walk about or sit down. After a while I went home. 

The river Neva flows from the north of (St.) Peter- 
sburg) in a direction between south and east; and is 
a very large river. Large steamers navigate it. Every 
day many pieces of ice like mountains are brought down 
by it from the north, which are extremely pure and 
beautiful, like the ice in ravines of the Alburz mountains. 
It is said that the water of the Neva is not wholesome ; 
and the Emperor cautioned us against drinking it. On 
one side of the stream is the palace in which we have our 
quarters, and on the other side is the old fort built in the 
time of Peter the Great, within which there is a church 
with a high tower and spire of gold. The tombs of the 
sovereigns of Russia are in that church. The mint of the 
Government is also within the fort. The streets of 
St. Petersburg are lighted with gas. 

26th (Saturday, 24th May). — Arose in the morning, and 
after a while the foreign representatives came and were 
received in an audience. Four were Ambassadors, who 
were introduced singly in a private chamber, and on 
retiring remained in the hall (of audience), to which we 
followed. There I spoke to each of the representatives, 
enquiring after their health. They then presented the 
members of their establishments. Our princes and others 



48* Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap. n. 

were also present. It was a grand ceremony. The 
following are the names of the four Ambassadors : General 
Le Flo, Ambassador of France, an old man of sense ; 
Lord Loftus, the English Ambassador; Kyamil Pasha, 
the Ottoman Ambassador ; the Prince of Reuss, the 
German Ambassador. Ministers and Charges -d' Affaires 
from most of the states of Europe, America, and 
Greece, came to the audience. After seeing them, I 
came back and breakfasted. The Prince of Oldenburg, 
at whose house I breakfasted yesterday, came also to pay 
a visit ; and then His Most Exalted Majesty the Emperor 
came. We had a little friendly chat, and he went to a 
parade of troops. We, however, having arranged to visit 
the Hermitage, did not go to this parade. The fire- 
brigade went through their manoeuvres to-day at the foot 
of our palace, which we witnessed from a window. We 
now went to the Hermitage. The director, a M. Kidianof, 
who is also the director of the theatre, and is an old man, 
was presented, and one by one pointed out the various 
objects,— rooms full of pictures, of marble statues, large 
and small water-basins of rare stones from Siberia and 
elsewhere, the most part of their columns being monoliths 
from Finland, tall and stout; tables of stone enriched 
with mosaics in colours, tables and vases of malachite, 
which is a Siberian stone, and many strange and wonder- 
ful things worthy to be seen. More especially, there were 
marble statues in the form of men, women, and children, 
standing, or lying down, at which one marvelled. One 
standing (figure of a) woman was most graceful, so that 
one could have admired it, seated before it for three whole 



chap, il] Russia. 49 

days. To see every picture and every statue in every 
room would require ten days or more ; as we merely 
looked on them for a moment, we really compre- 
hended nothing about them. We incessantly strolled 
from room to room and from hall to hall, and then 
descended by a great number of steps, by the sides of 
which were tall and stout columns of porphyry, to the 
ground floor, where also many ancient statues from Egypt 
and elsewhere were seen, which the director had himself 
gone for, purchased, and brought there. There was one 
colossal statue of a man sitting, as large as an elephant, 
but with all the limbs and parts in due proportion. There 
were ancient coins, vessels of gold, &c, dug up in the 
Crimea out of the earth, or out of graves. All these were 
in glass cases. The pictures were by old masters, 
English, Italian, or Spanish, — most beautiful pictures, 
more beautiful than which cannot be imagined. After a 
long inspection, we returned home, rested a while, and 
then dressed for the banquet to which we were invited by 
the Emperor, for the middle of the afternoon. 

At the proper time we went. One hundred and seventy 
individuals were invited, — members of the Kussian 
imperial family, with our princes and officials. It was a 
numerous assembly. We first went to a private chamber, 
where the Heir-Apparent, his wife, and others were. We 
sat there a while, and then, proceeding to the banquetting- 
hall, we took our seats at the table. The Emperor was 
on our left, the wife of the Heir- Apparent on our right. 
The dinner was eaten. In the middle of the dinner the 
Emperor arose, upon which we all got up. He drank a 



5o Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap. n. 

glass of wine to my health ; and at the very instant guns 
were fired from the fort. After a minute or so I rose, 
and again all rose ; I drank a glass of sherbet to the 
health of the Emperor. At length the dinner ended ; it 
had passed pleasantly. 

We now went to the apartments of the Emperor's 
mother and walked about. The Emperor presented his 
ministers and some generals. We then retired, and the 
Emperor also returned. 

An open carriage was ready ; mounting it, we drove 
about the city and passed near to a statue of the Emperor 
Nicholas, in cast-metal of large size, and seated on 
horseback. It is opposite the church of St. Isaac, which 
too is a grand structure entirely of stone, its domes being 
gilt and its columns of porphyry tall and stout in large 
numbers. The air was cold; so we returned home. 

In the evening we went to the Michael theatre. The 
Emperor did not come, being at Tsarskoi-selo. Our 
Grand-Vazir and the Eussian Lord Chamberlain, &c, were 
there. We sat in another box. This theatre is smaller than 
the one first visited, but is very pretty and nicely decorated. 
It has six tiers of seats. Women and men were there in 
crowds. We were extremely near to the stage. In this 
theatre they act comedies, i.e., they talk. One Swedish 
woman performed well on the tight-rope. Some indivi- 
duals performed wonderful feats. For example, one man 
brought forth from a locked wooden box a lad, a graceful 
woman, and another human being, after having opened it 
to show it was empty. Another stood upon a large globe, 
and walked about with it, at the same time casting knives, 






chap, il] Russia. 5 1 

&c, into the air with both his hands and catching them 
during a considerable space of time. Again a fat woman 
clothed in tights, with naked bosom and legs, mounted a 
three-wheeled velocipede and went along at a rapid rate ; 
then, a black man brought many wine-bottles and placed 
them on the floor which was covered with cotton-wool 
wetted with spirits of wine ; this was set fire to and the 
woman then urged the velocipede about among the bottles 
at a high speed ; ultimately she fell over from the vehicle 
to the floor, and her skirts took fire. It was a great piece 
of folly. Again, they several times represented a tableau- 
vivant, which was a very strange and pretty sight. Several 
women, children, and others, stood or sat motionless in 
beautiful postures, which were exceedingly interesting, 
and like the pictures of a painter. While motionless they 
were turned round and round by a rotating floor, so that 
they might be seen in various aspects. When all was 
over, we returned home and went to bed. 

News has come from Paris that M. Thiers, President of 
the Republic, has resigned, and that they have made 
Marshal MacMahon president, who was Commander-in- 
Chief of the army. 

27^/t (Sunday, 25th May). — When I rose in the 
morning it was raining heavily. The Emperor is at 
Tsarskoi-selo, and it had been arranged that to-night 
there should be a display of fireworks at the islands. 
This was put off on account of the rain. We paid some 
visits to-day. We first went to the house of the Grand 
Duke Constantine, brother of the Emperor, and an 
admiral. He has a very fine house, with many rooms, all 

e 2 



52 Diary of a Tour in Eztrope. [chap. n. 

full of things ; especially, there is a room fitted up Con- 
stantinople fashion. Here we sat. Water flowed into 
basins from the walls and from taps. Around the room 
were written verses from the Kur'an (Koran), the blessed 
name of ('All) the Commander of the Faithful, with those 
of the Iman Hasan and the Iman Husayn, upon each of 
whom be peace. The names of the Caliphs (Khalifa) 
were also there. It was a small circular room very cheer- 
ful ; and there I smoked a qalyan (a Persian huqqa, 
hubble-bubble, or water-pipe). We then rose and went 
to see the other rooms. There were many models of 
naval appliances, of ships, of guns, &c, also a library and 
a museum. We went upstairs, and there too were man} T 
things. The Grand Duke Constantine leaves to-morrow 
for the Black Sea, where a ship has been built which he 
is to launch. 

Eeturning thence, we went to the house of the Grand 
Duke Nicholas, another brother of the Emperor, who 
was not at home. His wife, the daughter of the Prince of 
Oldenburg, and his son, a handsome youth, tall in stature, 
were in. Daughters and sons, small and grown up, of his 
family, were also there. He has a fine palace. We sat 
a while, took tea, left, and went to the house of Prince 
Gorchakof, which is his official residence. We sat down 
in a back room, after ascending many stairs, and we had 
a little conversation with him. Returning from there, we 
proceeded to the quarters of Barinyotiski, which are under 
our own residence. This person is the friend of the 
Emperor, and was at one time the Governor of the 
Caucasus. He it was who brought to a close the war 



chap, il] Russia. 53 

with Shamil, and took Shamil prisoner. He was lying on 
a bed, with a coverlet drawn up over his face, so that no 
part of him was visible but his head. He is an old man. 
It was merely because he was a great man, respected, and 
unwell, that I went to visit him. He shaves his chin, but 
his cheeks have whiskers. He spoke in French. We sat 
down awhile. His wife, who is a native of Georgia, was 
received. Then I returned home. 

After an interval, I went to the jewel-office of the 
Hermitage. There was a golden peacock there, which 
they wound up, and which then spread its tail beautifully. 
There was also a golden cock, that crowed as the domestic 
fowl. We walked about a considerable time, arrived 
at the back door of the building, and then went up a 
staircase to where are kept the Emperor's crown, the 
Lazarof diamond, which is mounted on the top of the 
Emperor's sceptre, and the jewels of the Empress. All 
these we saw. The large diamond is a fine stone. The 
crown also is set with many fine brilliants, with a large 
ruby on the summit. There was also a small crown in 
diamonds, with a necklace of very fine brilliants, belong- 
ing to the Empress. There were also other jewels. We 
now returned home again. 

In this palace there are eleven hundred rooms, the 
greater part of which we went through. 

At night, after dinner, we went to the great theatre, 
where we found the Emperor, and had a long conversation. 
We sat in a lower box near the stage. The Grand- Vazir, 
Alderberg, the Grand Duke Constantine, &c, were also 
there. The acting lasted a long time in different modifi- 



54 Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap. n. 

cations. When the curtain fell we went with the Emperor 
to a small room and there smoked a cigar. In one of the 
intervals between two acts we went on to the stage with 
the Emperor, where there was a great crowd. The girls 
threw themselves down and kissed the Emperor's hands. 
Our princes, &c, were in a box opposite the stage. All 
being over, we mounted our carriage with the Emperor 
and went home. Praise be to God for all things ! 

In HajjI-Tarkhan, Moscow, and (St.) Peter(sburg), 
multitudes of pigeons walk about the streets and city, 
without taking flight for fear of man. 

Monday, Z8th (26£/& May).' — In the morning rose, 
breakfasted, and dressed. To-day the Grand-Vazir had 
an audience *of His Most Exalted Majesty the Emperor, 
and afterwards we drove with the Emperor in an open 
carriage to the parade-ground, where two or three thou- 
sand regular cavalry and Cossacks were drawn up to be 
reviewed. The sky was cloudy, and it began to rain, so 
that our clothes were wet. Arrived on the ground, we 
mounted our horses, and the troops were put through 
some manoeuvres. The rain ceased awhile. After their 
evolutions, the regular cavalry dismounted and fired 
volleys like infantry. The artillery also opened fire, 
Afterwards the Circassian, Cossack, and Muhammadan 
horsemen of Qara-Bag, to the number of over a hundred, 
went through their equestrian feats in our presence, dis- 
charging their muskets and pistols. Some of them had 
severe falls, the ground being very muddy. After this I 
got into my carriage and drove home, the Emperor pro- 
ceeding by railway to Tsarskoi-selo. 



chap, ii.] Russia. 55 

Arriving at our quarters, we reposed a while and then 
drove to the fort and the State Bank. We first reached 
the bank, which is a wonderful place. In reality, it is 
the treasury and storehouse for the cash and for the gold 
and silver of the Government. There were altogether to 
the value of at least two crores of Persia (500,000 tihnans 
each ; i.e., 1,000,000 tumans, at eight shillings per turnan, 
is 400,000Z.) in cash and ingots of gold and silver. 
The ingots were made in the form of half bricks of Tehran, 
and laid on the floor. The Russian Home Minister, whose 
name is Reiterne, explained all to us on the spot. 

Leaving the bank, we mounted and drove a considerable 
distance, passed over a great and long bridge that crosses 
the river Neva, and entered the fort. The governor of 
the fort is a very old general who shakes with palsy. His 
name is Karsakof. We proceeded first to visit the tombs 
of the Russian sovereigns, in a place like a church. The 
marble sarcophagi over the imperial tombs are collected 
in the corners (or, in chapels). From Peter the Great 
to Nicholas, all are buried here. 

From thence we went to the mint, which is within this 
fort. Gold imperials and silver coins are struck here. 
After looking on a while, we proceeded on foot to the place 
where medals are struck. They struck a large gold 
medal in memory of us, on one side of which is the profile 
of the Emperor, extremely resembling, and on the other 
side, in Persian characters, the date of our arrival and 
visit, together with our name. We now returned home. 

To-night there is a ball at the Emperor's palace. In 
the night we went to the ball, again passing through 



56 Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap. it. 

those saloons and long halls. Our princes, court officials, 
&c, were present. First we went to the apartments of 
the second son of the Emperor to return his visit. After 
sitting there a short time, I went to the Emperor's 
chamber, the Heir- Apparent and others being present. 
The Emperor invited me to proceed to the ball-room, 
where was a numerous assembly of men and women, 
officers, and generals. Our own suite were also present, 
with the exception of the I'tizadu-'s-Saltana and the 
'Ala'u-'d-Dawla, who had pleaded indisposition. The 
entrance to the ball-room was in this wise. In the first 
place, I took the hand of the Heir- Apparent' s wife and 
walked in advance, and then the Emperor, taking the 
hand of the wife of Prince Alderburg, followed behind. 
The women and men had formed a circle. Two complete 
rounds did we walk in this fashion, and then stood still. 
The foreign Ambassadors — the Ottoman, the English, the 
German, and the French — were all present. The women 
and men of the imperial family and others set-to dancing, 
and all danced much. We sat with the Emperor a while, 
we stood up a while, we went to another room and reposed 
a while, incessantly conversing with the Emperor, the 
Ambassadors, and others. After the dancing, again in the 
same manner did I take the hand of the wife of the Heir- Ap- 
parent and went to the supper-room, a large hall lighted 
up with many lamps. Numerous date-palms in vases were 
beautifully arranged in the hall, and around each palm-vase 
were collected a table and man} r chairs, food being placed 
ready. The Emperor led us to the large middle 
table, placed the other people at the other tables, and 



chap, ii.] Russia. 57 

he himself walked about. Every individual present at 
the ball sat down to a table. According to the number 
of persons were there palm-trees. So many flowers, 
roses or hyacinths, were there collected or scattered 
about that it is impossible to imagine more. The 
musicians also pla} r ed. Around our table were seated 
the Ambassadors, the Heir-Apparent's wife, the Grand- 
Vazlr, and others. After supping I again took the hand 
of the Heir-Apparent's wife and returned to the ball-room, 
where I stood a while, and again they danced. This 
finished, I went home. All passed off very pleasantly. 

Saturday {Tuesday), 29th (27th May). — To-day I have 
to visit Peterhof and Cronstadt. The air is very clear, 
with a beautiful sunshine. All my suite accompanied 
me. Mounting our carriage, we went to a landing-place 
which they had constructed. Alighting at this landing, 
we went on board a small steamer, in which the whole 
party was collected. We started towards the sea and 
Cronstadt. As far as Cronstadt the sea is very calm and 
smooth. The air was very cold. We breakfasted in the 
steamer. In an hour and a half we reached the tower 
and forts of Cronstadt. It has several very important 
forts. They have built some turrets and batteries of 
stone, with several tiers of embrasures for guns. The 
most important work is named Fort Constantine, which 
is above the town of Cronstadt by a space of a thousand 
ells or more. Alighting from the steamer, we first went 
to see an iron man-of-war steamer named the Kremlin, 
and went all over her, above and below. She has about 
ten guns of very large size. The crew were put through 



58 Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap. n. 

their exercise, and a few shots were fired from the upper 
tier of large guns. We then descended, and mounting a 
small steam launch, we went to Fort Constantine. The 
foundations of the batteries and fort are of stone. About 
twenty large guns are placed in two batteries, such that 
each gun weighs 420 ass-loads (of one-third of a ton ; i.e., 
140 tons) 2 , while each shot is of the weight of 70 maunds 
(of7jlbs. ; i.e., 525 lbs.). These guns are of Prussian 
make, and are breech-loaders. They bring the shot on 
a truck, lift it with a mechanical apparatus, and then 
pass it into the gun. The loading of a gun occupies a 
space of five minutes. There is another battery and 
turret, named Fort Menschikof ; and yet another, named 
Fort Alexander ; but these are small. Again, another 
turret was seen in the distance. Leaving the fort and 
mounting a small vessel, we pushed off. On reaching 
the landing-place of the town, we alighted amid a great 
concourse of women and men. Our suite followed after 
us. The Governor of the town of Cronstadt, named 
Kazakevitch, with the mayor, aldermen, and notables 
of the place, as also the military officers, had brought a 
gilt tray and a golden salt-cellar, with bread and salt. 
We walked a little way and then mounted a carriage. 
Everywhere were we surrounded with men and women 
on both sides of the streets. Passing over the bridge of 
the dockyard, we went to the workshops for iron, where 
two ships had been built, but not yet finished. The port 
of the town was full of merchantmen and other craft. 
This town carries on commerce with Denmark, England, 
the coasts of Eussia, Prussia, Sweden, and Norway. In 



chap, ii.] Russia. 59 

the works they had cast a large slab of iron ; with 
certain apparatus established in the upper part of the 
shop they brought this slab, red-hot as it was, under a 
press and bent it somewhat. It is an important (estab- 
lishment for the) casting of iron. After going about 
a while we turned back, mounted our carriage and went 
to our steamer. The town of Cronstadt is very beautiful. 
Its inhabitants are all sailors, or soldiers, or artificers. 
It has a public garden, fine houses, and a population of 
thirty thousand. Thence we proceeded to Peterhof. 

In half an hour we arrived there. The Governor is an 
old man of robust form, and named Bomgarden. Numbers 
of officers and of men and women had come to the land- 
ing-place. From the very seashore it is a park with 
avenues, the end of which cannot be discovered. The 
carriage-drives are covered with a red earth, as soft as 
collyrium, while beneath the trees all is greensward, 
lawns, and flowers ; but the trees are not yet in leaf, nor 
the flowers in bloom. We mounted a carriage and our 
suite followed. The Governor went before us in a 
carriage, and led us from avenue to avenue, from path- 
way to pathway. Everywhere jets-d'eau were methodically 
disposed in order. Children besieged us in our carriage, 
and ran after us everywhere. It is really impossible to 
give a written description of the parks, avenues, fountains, 
which must be seen with one's own eyes. There are 
four hundred jets-d'eau, all lofty and large, their source 
being very elevated and distant. Whenever they wish, 
they can in one instant set them all playing at once, or 
turn them all off. These fountains are of different kinds. 



60 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. n. 

There was a stone colonnade without a roof, and very 
elegant, out of every part of which &jet-d'eau spouted up. 
Some of them play together, like one mountain of water ; 
others separately from one another. Some are like water- 
falls ; in some places the water fell from the roofs of 
buildings. After a long drive, we went to the house of 
Peter the Great, which is in a park, is very pretty, and 
full of things. There were many articles that had 
belonged to Peter himself. Returning thence, again we 
mounted. In one place there was the Emperor's bath, a 
spacious enclosure without a roof, in four walls. Nume- 
rous fountains sprang from the interior of the basin of 
this bath, like a white mountain. It was a place like 
paradise. At times the Emperor there takes a cold bath. 
Diverging from this, we saw a fountain like the mass of a 
Pyramid of Egypt, of a conical shape — a beautiful foun- 
tain. Next we visited the middle palace, which is better 
than the rest, and has two facades ; two hundred jets-d'eau 
play in front of it. Statues of men and other figures, of 
cast metal, are there arranged, out of the mouths or orifices 
of which the water runs. One of the fountains threw its 
water to a height of twenty ells (70 feet). The water of 
these jets becomes a cascade, flowing down a succession 
of steps. In front, too, there is an avenue and a long 
basin of water, with jets on either side. The sea even 
enters into the view from this palace. To say the truth, 
a description of the palace and its abounding contents does 
not admit of being recorded. The palace is one of the 
buildings of Peter the Great and Catherine. Descending 
thence, we again drove on to the palace of the Emperor 



chap, ii.] Rtissia. 6 1 

and to that of the Heir- Apparent. In fine, there was no 
end to this visiting of palaces and of drives ; besides which, 
we had not the time ; so, with the utmost reluctance, we 
turned back, and getting out of our carriage near to some 
magnificent and numerous fountains, we walked about 
a while. The wonder is that in this vast park and ample 
space such neatness and cleanliness were maintained, that 
not a leaf from a tree, not a chip or a straw was seen 
on the ground. The trees are all forest trees, but 
planted out regularly, and made to interlace over the 
avenues. There are also avenues of firs and yews. 

We at length regained our steamer, and paddled away 
back to the islands of Ilakin, which are near to the city 
of (St.) Peter (sburg), where to-night there is to be an 
exhibition of fireworks. 

Crossing the sea, we arrived at the mouth of a stream, 
both sides of which are occupied by houses and by green 
and pleasant trees. On the right-hand side of this river 
the preparations for the fireworks were ready ; while on 
the left tents were pitched. Passing a little farther up, we 
landed at the stairs on the left hand. Here were collected 
great numbers of officers, of women, of men, and of 
carriages in which the people had come out from the city 
to witness the fireworks. The arrangement of the ground, 
trees, and avenues was the same in this place as at 
Peterhof. We walked on until we arrived at a very 
handsome house, where we found the wife of the Heir- 
Apparent, the Heir-Apparent himself, the princes, and 
others. We sat down a while, and the Emperor came. 
Salutations and conversation ensued. Remaining still a 



62 Diary of a Tour in Ettrope. [chap, n 



little space, we then mounted our carriage with the Em- 
peror, the wife of the Heir- Apparent, the Heir-Apparent, 
the wife of Prince Alderburg, and the other children of 
the Emperor, setting out for a drive to pass away the 
time until darkness should set in and the hour for the 
fireworks come. Our suite followed us in other carriages. 
The air was exceedingly cold. Driving about in a devious 
manner, we went about a league. Numerous detached 
houses and innumerable avenues, neat and cleanly, were 
seen. We then turned back to the same house from 
whence we had started, stopped there a little, mounted 
again, and went to the tent we had noticed before. An 
assembly of Europeans and of Iranis was in the tent, and 
a crowd of spectators was in ships, in boats, and on the 
river-banks. We sat down within the tent. The fire- 
works were excellent, with a novelty. They had written 
our name in Persian characters, with the device of the 
" Lion and Sun." It was plainly legible. After the 
fireworks, we mounted a carriage with the Emperor and 
drove back to the former house. Tariying there awhile, 
our carriage was announced. We then left, and driving 
by many a pretty place and beautiful summer residences, 
in front of the mint, and along the fort, we crossed the 
long bridge, and reaching home, dined, and retired to 
rest. 

The admiral that accompanied us to-day from (St.) 
Peter (sburg) was a short man, who had lost an arm by a 
shot at the battle of the Alma in the Sebastopol campaign, 
and his name was Skolkof. 

1st Rabi'u-'s-Sdni (tlie Second Rabi' ; Wednesday, 28th 



chap, ii.] Ritssia. 63 

May). — Kising in the morning from sleep, we dressed in 
state to receive Prince Gorchakof, with whom we had a 
lengthened conference, and then drove to a photo- 
grapher's. Dismounting at his door, we went upstairs. 
His name was Levitski — a fat, bulky man, with a certain 
wit. He possessed good and numerous apparatus, and 
spoke French well. He took several negatives of us, 
which were extremely good. After concluding this busi- 
ness, I returned home, performed my devotions, and took 
some tea. This evening we are invited to dine with the 
Emperor at Tsarskoi-selo, a special palace and park of 
the Emperor's, rather less than four leagues from town, 
which are got over in half an hour by the railway. 

At the appointed time we drove to the station, where a 
great crowd had gathered, and took our seat in an elegant 
and comfortable carriage, special to the Emperor. Start- 
ing thence, we reached the first buildings of Tsarskoi-selo 
in half an hour. It is a beautiful town, nicely situated, 
and with a large population. Its streets are all straight 
and clean. Alighting, we mounted a carriage, and our 
suite were placed in others ; thus we reached the palace, 
which is very grand and beautiful. There is a church 
adjoining it, and special to it, with four or five gilded 
cupolas. We passed along by beautiful and spacious 
avenues like those of Peterhof ; we then turned back, 
alighted at the steps of the palace, and went upstairs. 
It is impossible to imagine a more delightful residence. 
All these improvements are from the time of Catherine. 
The Emperor had not arrived, so we sat down a while 
in an apartment that had been specillay designated for us 



64 Diary of a Tour in Etcrope. [chap. n. 

until lie came. We went together to stroll through the 
rooms, and we saw numerous and charming halls and 
saloons, which cannot be described. Exquisite pictures, 
the works of old and modern painters, were there. One 
room was visited in which the whole of the walls were 
inlaid with amber ; i.e., infixed piece by piece. It was 
truly a magnificent room. These pieces of amber were 
sent by Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, to Cathe- 
rine II., and she had them set in this room. I visited 
the rooms separately, one by one ; all were beautiful. At 
the back there is a private chapel for the Emperor, with 
gilded cupolas — a very attractive fane. This place of 
worship is on the ground-floor, and above it are windows 
and an outlook over what is below. We then returned 
through the same chambers to the first one, in order to 
take our dinner ; and we passed through a marvellously 
beautiful hall — impossible to describe — and thence to a 
room where we stayed a short time with the Emperor, 
after which dinner was announced. The Emperor, the 
members of the imperial family of Eussia, the great 
officers of state, and others, with our princes, the Grand- 
Vazir, and others, were present. An exquisite dinner 
was served, during which a band played. Then, rising, 
we walked about for a time with the Emperor on a 
terrace overlooking the park ; and afterwards I retired to 
my own room. Standing there a short time, the Emperor 
came to join me, and, with two of his sons, we got into a 
carriage and drove for some time about the avenues of 
the park. Many women, on foot and in carriages, went 
also about the park. Everything here resembles the 



chap, il] Russia. 65 

park at Peterhof, but there are no fountains. There are 
some handsome barracks for the military, cavalry and 
infantry ; and never is any untidiness seen in this park. 
Some ancient ruins were seen ; and all these buildings, 
ruined or inhabited, are from the times of Catherine. 
At length we returned to the palace, and the Emperor 
told me he had a winter apartment on the ground floor, 
inviting me to see it. We alighted and entered. There 
were there two large dogs of the Emperor's, the one black 
and the other yellow. In this apartment were all sorts of 
things that could be imagined, such as Kurdish lances, 
Turkman spears, muskets, and pistols, and swords, and 
other implements of the Red-Heads (old Persian militia 
of the Safawi dynasty), bow-horns and quivers, skins of 
lions and tigers, daggers and the like set with precious 
stones and sent by the Khan of Bukhara, china coffee- 
cups with holders of gold, and a scrap-book, bound in gold 
covers, enamelled, sent by the late Prince-Regent ('Abbas 
Mirza, grandfather of the Shah) after the peace of Turk- 
man- Chay, were all collected there. It was a collection 
well worth seeing ; but, alas ! there was no time. Issuing 
from hence, we again went to the palace ; and after an 
interval, mounting in carriages, we all went together to a 
theatre in the park. I and the Emperor, with the wife of 
the Heir- Apparent, went to a box near the stage. It was 
a pretty theatre with three tiers of seats. The Grand- 
Duke Nicholas, the Prussian Ambassador, with other 
officials and notables, were in the pit on chairs. The 
curtain rose, and the play of Don Quixote was acted. 
They had got up a Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, 



66 Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap. n. 

his servant, that were very funny and suggestive. In the 
meanwhile, maidens in very pretty costumes danced. 
When all was over, we departed. The sky was brilliant 
as though it were day. We also saw the new moon of 
the second KabP, and we returned many thanks unto 
God. We next got into the train, returned to town, 
descended, mounted our carriage, and went home. 

This night his Imperial Majesty the Emperor presented 
to every one of our suite, to each according to his rank 
and dignity, either an order, a ring, a watch, or the like ; 
I, too, presented to the Emperor my Jaf I horse, and to 
the wife of the Heir- Apparent my Julfa horse. 

Mirza Ahmad, Aide-de-Camp to the Grand- Vazir, who 
had been sent from Tehran to Constantinople, was 
received in audience at (St.) Peter(sburg). 

2nd (Thursday, 29th May). — To-day I have to go, 
God willing, via Wilna, a Eussian town, and Konigsberg, 
a Prussian city, to Prussia and Germany. To-morrow, 
also, the Emperor, with the Heir- Apparent, the wife of 
the Heir- Apparent, and others, is to start for Firan- 
gistan (Europe). 

As I rose from sleep in the 'morning the Emperor 
came. After expressing our adieux, we mounted together 
in an open carriage, and started. A great concourse 
was collected on either side of the way, who cheered. 
Many manufactories were seen at a distance on the out- 
skirts of the city ; and so we arrived at the terminus of 
the railroad to Prussia. Alighting with the Emperor, we 
again mutually said good-bye, and then passed down the 
line of troops drawn up at the station. We then took 



chap, ii.] Russia. 67 

our seat in the train, but again said good-bye to the 
Emperor, and started with our suite. This was the very 
same train of carriages in which we had travelled from 
Tsaritsin to ^Moscow. 

Again every spot on the plain was green and smiling, 
with forests of fir and yews, &c. We passed several 
bridges. About sunset we dined. At the station of 
Pskow, which is the seat of an important government, 
we made a stay of about fifty minutes, and the Governor 
was received in audience. Then again we sped along ; 
and every now and then halting a few minutes, we con- 
tinued our journey until night. Eain also fell. This 
day we have seen a good deal of cultivation and signs of 
population. The farther we went the warmer did the air 
grow. The trees in these parts were in flower and in 
leaf. During the night we slept with difficulty, through 
the motion of the carriage. 

Of the things frequently seen in Russia were the 
abundance of carriages in (St.) Peter (sburg), many tram- 
ways of iron in the streets, and also many beautif ul dogs, 
large and small. 

1 This title of Xawwab (Nabob) is never used in Persia, but is imitated 
from expressions probably used by English officers from India, and is in- 
tended to represent " Son Altesse Imperiale, " or "Son Altesse Eoyale," 
&e._j. w. R. 

2 The weight of 140 tons for a gun is evidently a confusion of weights. 
If we take the Persian "ass-load" here to stand for the Paissian "pood," 
of 36 lbs., the 420 ass-loads become 135 cwt, or nearly 7 tons, which may 
be the true weight.— J. TV. E. 



CHAPTER III. 

PRUSSIA, GERMANY, BELGIUM; 20 DAYS. 

3RD (Friday, 30th May). — In the morning, on 
arising, they told me immediately that we were 
on the limits of the government of Wilna, and 
that the Governor, named Patapoff, had to come and 
say adieu before returning. There was a halt until he 
came and left. We then passed over a very long iron 
bridge, which they have built over the river Niemen. In 
the morning, whilst I slept, as they said, the train 
passed through a "hole in the mountain" (tunnel), of 
about 400 ells (470 yards) in length. After a short 
interval we came to another "hole," of a thousand four 
hundred ells (1633 yards) long, and as dark as night 
It occupies six minutes to traverse it. We now went on 
till we reached the frontier place between Russia and 
Prussia, named Aidgone. At the station of the Prussian 
town we alighted. There were many soldiers, officers, 
and peasants, men and women, present. The officials 
sent by the Prussian Government to be in waiting on me 
all came into the carriage and were presented. The 
chief official in waiting was a general of distinction, 
aide-de-camp (to the Emperor), and named Bo'ien. We 
passed down in front of the troops, and then retired to a 



chap, in.] Prussia, Germany, Belgium. 69 

room in the station. The rooms of this station and 
their furniture are plain. A breakfast had been prepared 
for my suite, of which they partook. They transferred 
our luggage from the Eussian to the Prussian train. 
We had to wait a considerable time. I was in a small 
room with the officers of my household, and for a while 
I wrote up my Diary. A great crowd of spectators, men 
and women, scrambled up to the glass of the windows to 
have a look, and they squabbled with each other. The 
liberty (or licence) of this place is very much more than 
what was seen in Russia. When they dispersed we went 
and seated ourselves in our carriage. The Prussian 
train, unlike that of Russia, has carriages that do not 
communicate with one another ; so that, wherever one 
takes one's seat, you have no knowledge of the rest, 
excepting at intervals when a halt occurs for a minute 
or so. 

Prince Menschikof and General Bazak came and took 
leave ; and at length we got in motion. The pace was 
several degrees swifter than that used in Russia. My 
carriage was spacious and handsome. On either side 
there was a small coffee-room. In these regions every- 
thing became changed, — the men, the country, the 
carriages, the food, &c. The populousness and cultiva- 
tion in the land of the Prussian are greater than in 
Russia. Whenever I looked out there were villages, 
houses, men, horses, oxen, mares, sheep, meadows, 
sown-fields, water, and flowers of all colours. We 
crossed many rivers. Human improvements of charm- 
ing aspect came in sight, near and afar. And so we 



Jo Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap. in. 

came to a station. The train stopped ; the Grand- Vazir 
came to our carriage. The Prussian telegraph officer 
handed in a number of telegrams from Tehran, and these 
were perused. Thanks be to God, they conveyed good 
tidings. 

Again we started. As the Prussian trains travel very 
fast, it was but two hours and a half since leaving the 
Russian frontier before we arrived at Konigsberg, a city 
of Prussia, and very near to the Baltic Sea. A large 
river passes through this city, which is named the 
Pregel. Merchant steamers come up from the sea to 
the middle of the city, and return in like manner. It is 
a small city, but pretty ; its population is 95,000 souls. 
We have to-day seen in the Prussian territory the culti- 
vation of rape, which has a yellow flower of a very 
charming tint. It is sown for its oil (colza oil), which is 
much used for the lubrication of machinery on railways, 
and the like. It was very extensively cultivated, and it 
gave a peculiar charm to the landscape. Naturally, the 
whole country is a meadow, with forests of fir and yews, 
though in much less quantities than in Russia. 

We reached the station, where there was a large body 
of troops and officers, all very handsome young men, 
with helmets on their heads, and beautiful clothing on 
their bodies. They were a very pretty soldiery. The 
Prussian kingdom is all, soldiery. The bands here, like 
those in Tehran, have all drums and fifes, whereas in 
Russia this kind of fife was not observed. Infinite 
numbers of men and women lined both sides of the streets 
everywhere. I mounted an open carriage and drove off. 



chap, in.] Prussia, Germany, Belgium. 71 

Crowds of children ran by its side. It was a curious 
hubbub. A long street was passed down. The houses 
are all of three or four stories, small, and narrow. We 
arrived at an ancient palace, built five hundred years 
ago ; dismounted at its gate, and went up many stairs. 
It is an old structure. The whole of our suite, princes, 
household officials, &c, all came there. As the people 
of this city had never seen a Persian, they were much 
surprised at sight of us. The name of the Governor of 
the city is Vivekler. The carriages of this place, and 
the horses in the carriages, are not so numerous nor so 
beautiful as those in Eussia. 

Black- tailed tumbler pigeons, and others, swifts, 
storks, and magpies, appeared very numerous in this 
country ; windmills are in great plenty. 

In the night several bands of music stood beneath the 
palace and played a long time, i.e., they beat the retreat 
on the drums. The harmony of the fifes of these bands, 
and the tenue of the men, were excellent. A great 
military drum, too, was fastened to a large dog, with a 
truck beneath it, which the dog drew. Heavy rain fell, 
but great crowds congregated. 

4th (Saturday, 31st May). — This day, God willing, we 
are to go to Berlin. This city (of Konigsberg) being- 
near the sea, the air was extremely cold. The palace 
contains some small pictures by old masters, which are 
very good. On the ground-floor is a very large oblong- 
hall, with a low-pitched timber ceiling, in which the 
kings of Prussia are crowned. We had to wait some 
little while; then mounted a carriage, and by the very 



7 2 Diary of a Tour in Etcrope. [chap. hi. 

same road we had followed in coming did we return. It 
was early morning, so that the congregations of people 
were less than yesterday. We reached the station ; we 
all took our seats, and started. The train went at an 
extremely rapid pace, and in an hour-and-half s travel- 
ling we came in sight of a lake (the Frische-Haff) on our 
right, which must he twenty leagues round. Its environs 
were all populous, with trees, while sailing-vessels and 
others were on it. On both sides of our road every- 
where we saw villages, towns, cities, populousness, 
forests, numerous trees, firs, yews, and others. Here 
the forests of firs are more frequent than in Russia. 
Some parts of the forests were hilly and elevated. 
Many very pretty avenues of willows and great poplars 
were seen, which are places of promenade for carriages 
and pedestrians. We passed many streams, large and 
small, hut all bridged over, and so went by the town of 
Marienburg, through which the Vistula, a great river, 
flows. Numbers of vessels ply on this stream. It has 
an iron bridge over it of very great length. At the 
stations and guardhouses along our line of road we saw 
very pretty gardens, and cultivations, and many pretty 
flowers. The jasmine of Shirwan, called by the Franks 
the lilac, was everywhere in flower. As far as the eye 
could reach, all was cultivation, human improvements, 
rivers, guardhouses, hotels, avenues, forests, flowers, 
meadows. Many oxen were seen, resembling those of 
Mazandaran. 

And thus we sped on our way, until, in the middle of 
the afternoon, we arrived at a station to breakfast. 



chap. in. Prussia, Germany, Belgium. 73 

They brought me a little food in the carriage, of which I 
partook; the rest went out to breakfast, and then re- 
turned. Again we proceeded, and reached a large town 
with very strong fortifications, named Custrin, where a 
salute of cannon was fired. We stopped ; the Governor 
of the city, and the General of the place, were received in 
audience. Women and men in crowds were collected. 
After an interval we went on, and arrived at another 
station, where we had to put on our state costume, being 
near to Berlin. Our suite did the same. We then 
drove on a long way, and ultimately reached the out- 
skirts of the city. Our train was taken sometimes over 
a bridge, sometimes up and sometimes down, and then 
again turned back, like a horse, the bit of which is in 
the hand of a man. This was to us a source of wonder. 
Many lines" of railway are laid down in every direction. 
Carriages and engines without number were seen on the 
lines, and many trains passed us on the road to-day. 

At last we reached the station, and alighted. His 
Most Exalted Majest}^ the Emperor of Germany, — Wil- 
liam, the Nawwab the Heir-Apparent, — his son, the 
Nawwab Prince Charles, — his brother, Frederick- Charles, 
— son of a brother of the Emperor and captor of Metz, 
together with other princes of the royal family, such as 
Prince Hohenzollern, a youngster, and the very prince 
respecting whom the war between Germany and France 
occurred, as the French were not willing that he should 
become king of Spain; also Prince Bismarck, — the famous 
Chancellor of Germany, Marshal Boon, the Minister of 
War and Premier of Prussia, and General Moltke, now 



74 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. tit. 

Marshal and Generalissimo, very celebrated, and much 
spoken of, and other generals and officials, with a batta- 
lion of the Guards, a band, a cavalry regiment, and others, 
as also a concourse of people beyond all compute on the 
roads, were there to receive us. They gave us a most 
cordial reception. Taking the hand of His Most 
Exalted Majesty, we mounted an open carriage, and 
drove along a wide street, bordered on either side with 
ancient trees and white cluster roses in flower, every- 
where paved with stones, and spacious, with houses the 
whole way. The crowds were great, and shouted 
hurrahs. I saluted them all, together with the Emperor. 
We conversed together in French, until we reached a 
place like a gateway, where the trees ended. It was a 
wide street, with sumptuous palaces on either side, of 
several stories. We noticed a column recently erected 
in commemoration of the victory over France, and not 
yet completed. A statue of Frederick I., i.e., of Fre- 
derick the Great, cast in metal, was in our path. We 
passed by the University, a great place of instruction 
where two thousand students are taught; by the Arsenal, 
which was on our left hand ; while on our right was the 
Emperor's own palace, in which he has resided from the 
days when he was Heir- Presumptive until now. Next 
we passed the palace of the Heir- Apparent, and so 
reached a square with two basins of water, from which 
sprang lofty jets-d'eau. On our right was a royal resi- 
dence, that was assigned to us. There was a crowd up 
to the very edifice. We alighted. Veteran troops in 
beautiful uniforms, who are the guards of the palace, 



chap, in.] Prussia, Germany, Belgium. 75 

were in the rooms ; patrols of cavalry, all handsome 
young men, with good figures, and well dressed, were at 
the gate, with officers of the household, &c, all sta- 
tioned. We went upstairs. The middle of the square 
in front of the palace was laid out in beautiful beds of 
flowers and shrubs, lilacs, and the like. There were 
also two statues of horses, of cast-metal, each held by the 
mouth by a man. 

The Emperor showed me all the apartments. There 
are some beautiful paintings and portraits in this palace. 
I presented the Grand-Vazir, the princes, and others ; 
the Emperor also at the station had presented his 
princes and servants. Next we went to a private apart- 
ment with him, and had some conversation, at which the 
Grand-Vazir was present. When the Emperor left, I 
waited a short time, then mounted my carriage, and 
drove to his residence. He came to the foot of the 
stairs to meet me ; we went in ; we sat down ; a conver- 
sation ensued ; and after a few minutes I returned. The 
Emperor is seventy-six years of age; his brother seventy- 
three. Both of them, however, are perfect in bodily 
health and strength. Prince Bismarck is fifty-eight ; 
Marshal Moltke seventy-five. The Nawwab the Heir- 
Apparent is of the age of forty- two. 

This evening I went nowhere. The city of Berlin is 
lighted with gas ; the lamps being more numerous here 
than at (St.) Peter (sburg). Opposite our palace, on the 
other side of the square, is the establishment of the 
Museum of Berlin. On one side is a church, and oppo- 
site it, the Armoury. In the centre of the square is a 



J 6 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. hi. 

raised platform, with steps all round, on which is a cast- 
metal equestrian statue of Frederick the Great. The 
exteriors of the buildings of Berlin are coloured ash- 
colour, which takes away somewhat from the appearance 
of the city ; on the contrary, at (St.) Peter(sburg) the 
edifices are of all colours. The river that flows by one 
side of Berlin is named the Spree, a branch of which 
runs through the middle of the town ; but it is narrow, 
and its waters very filthy. To-day we travelled eighty 
leagues distance in eleven hours or less. 

5th (Sunday, 1st June). — To-day we went to the town 
of Potsdam, which is outside of Berlin. Mounting our 
carriage, we drove along the same track, and through 
the very gateway that we had traversed j^esterday, passed 
by many avenues, noble forest trees, beautiful houses 
with exquisitely pretty flower-gardens in front of them, 
and basins of water with fountains and jets-d'eau, so 
arriving at the station. We took our seat in the train, 
started, and in half an hour's time, getting over the 
journe}^, arrived at that town. 

It is a small place, with forty-two thousand inhabi- 
tants, for the most part regular troops. The Governor 
of the town, &c, came to receive us. We alighted. 
There is also a large river here, named the Havel. We 
mounted a carriage, and passing by the houses, &c, of 
the town, we entered an avenue. The parks, avenues, &c, 
here are similar to those in Bussia. Of the two palaces, 
one is called Potsdam, and the other Sans-Souci; both 
built by Frederick the Great. The quarters of the Heir- 
Apparent are in that of Potsdam. We drove in our 



chap, in.] Prussia, Germany, Belgium. jy 

carriage to that palace; lie was not at home. We then 
drove for a promenade, and passed through magnificent 
avenues in beautiful parks. The parks here are great 
forests, like those of Mazandaran. To-day being 
Sunday (Whitsunday), the whole world was out for a 
promenade, and great crowds were in the avenues. We 
came to a large fountain, the water of which spouted 
thirty ells (105 feet) high. Statues of marble, very 
beautiful and antique, were seen around the gardens and 
the basins. In short, this fountain is one of the wonders 
of the world. Its head is due to steam power, by the 
force of which the water is raised. Through the throng- 
ing of the people, we were somewhat impeded in going 
about. Lilacs abounded. Nightingales and wrens sang 
in the trees. It was a world of delight. We next went 
into an avenue opposite that fountain, at the end of 
which was another basin, the jet-d'eau of which was very 
lofty, but not equal to that of the first. We then got 
into our carriage, and went to the palace of Sans-Souci 
to visit the Queen Dowager, wife of the former Sovereign 
of Prussia, who was a brother of the reigning Emperor. 
The first Lord-in- Waiting and the Chief Usher of the 
Queen (Dowager) and others received us. We went to 
the apartment of the Queen (Dowager) ; she rose and 
came outside of the apartment. She is a woman seventy 
years of age, or even more of her life may have elapsed. 
We sat down, and conversation ensued. We then arose 
and passed on. This is the special palace of Frederick the 
Great. The very room in which he died was seen by us. 
The chair in which he expired, his writing-table, a time- 



78 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. hi. 

piece, and other effects of Frederick, were all there. 
Some things were placed on chairs merely from venera- 
tion, and the hands of the timepiece have remained since 
his death in the very same position to a minute, never 
having been set since then. There were many beautiful 
paintings, left from that time. They told me that when 
the first Napoleon took possession of this town, he tore 
the cloth on the table of Frederick, and that it has been 
so preserved since, torn. There were beautiful rooms, 
and many relics of antiquity. 

We then descended. In front of the palace there is a 
lofty terrace. In front of the eminence there are very 
beautiful gardens, with small basins of water. From the 
top they have arranged statues, from the mouths of which 
water flows into basins. The view from this terrace and 
this eminence has not its equal in the world. That lofty 
jet-d'eau is opposite to this eminence. In short, the 
fountains, the parks, and the beautiful avenues were 
numberless. We walked about a while ; we then mounted 
our carriage, and drove to a place where we saw a ruined 
mill, which has remained from the time of Frederick the 
Great, and has a date on it. From this we gathered 
that when Frederick wished to build this place, he was 
unable, do what he would, to content the proprietor of 
the mill, and induce him to sell his property, so that the 
park might not remain incomplete. He would not con- 
sent ; and, as an instance of equity, the mill has been 
preserved in the same condition ever since. 

We next went to the hot-houses and orangeries (con- 
servatories), which are constructed with brickwork, 



chap, in.] Prussia, Germany, Belgium. 79 

glass, and other appliances; but we did not enter them, 
the whole of the flowers and shrubs having been brought 
out of doors. In front of the conservatory there is a 
garden, a basin of water, and a terrace, which have beau- 
tiful parterres of flowers, with statues of marble. From 
hence there are many steps, as they have arranged very 
beautiful parterres range upon range. Here we walked 
about a bit ; and then, mounting our carriage, we drove 
to the palace and summer residence of the wife of Prince 
Charles, a sister of the Queen of Prussia, i.e., of the wife 
of the Emperor, and is mother of Frederick Charles. 
It has a pretty courtyard, with statues and ancient stone 
figures and carvings, of Egypt, Syria, Nineveh, Mawsil 
(Mosul), &c, such as a leg, a head of a shoulder, an 
arm (or hand), of the figure of an animal or man, large 
or small, imperfect or whole, collected therein of every 
kind, and fixed to the walls in an artistic manner. It 
became evident that Prince Charles and his wife are 
persons of learning and taste. 

In short, most beautiful gardens, fountains, lawns, and 
the like, were there seen. We went upstairs and sat 
down a while in a room. The wife of Prince Charles 
offered many excuses, and expressed great chagrin that 
notice had been given to her late, saying : They tele- 
graphed to inform me that you would not come to- 
day. She brought out a book, and we inscribed our 
name therein. She is an aged woman. 

Rising from thence, we took our seat in our carriage to 
go to the residence of the wife of Frederick- Charles. 
She was not at home. In front of the avenue leading to 



So Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. m. 

the gate of Frederick-Charles, there were two statues of 
stags lying down, on the top of the railings, most beau- 
tifully executed. We drove on ; we passed some charm- 
ing spots ; and we came upon a small pavilion most 
beautifully placed, which belongs to the Emperor. It 
has some pretty gardens, and a charming prospect over a 
large river. 

We then went to the station and returned to the city. 
On our passage we remarked a singular pastime which 
they had devised. They had fitted up a kind of g} 7 psey- 
tent, and around the tent there were pasteboard carriages 
and horses, on which people's children rode, while the 
tent revolved incessantly, causing the carriages, the 
horses, and their riders to go round also. 

We reached home. This evening the Emperor gave a 
special banquet in this very palace where our quarters 
are. Our princes, the Prussian princes, our Grand- 
Vazlr, Prince Bismarck, Marshal Moltke, Marshal Eoon, 
and others, were present, as also Marshal Wrangel, with 
whom we conversed. He is a short and very old man, 
ninety years of age, but full of mental vigour. He 
served everywhere in the wars of the first Napoleon. 

After dinner we went to the theatre, a beautiful house 
with five tiers of seats, about the size of the Michael 
Theatre at (St.) Peter(sburg). The audience was crowded. 
The play was a ballet this evening, and they danced well. 
The dancers wore strange costumes. I and the Emperor 
went on the stage and looked about a little. We then 
returned, and another scene commenced. They danced, 
and represented some interesting situations. Prince 



chap, in.] Prztssia, Germany, Belgium. 8 1 

Charles, the Emperor's brother, also was present. When 
all was over we went home. 

On the day when we came away from (St.) Peter- 
sburg), the Mukhbiru-'d-Dawla remained behind to see 
his son, who is to come to (St.) Peter (sburg). 

6th (Monday, 2nd June). — After our breakfast the 
foreign representatives came to an audience. The French 
representative did not come, because, M. Thiers having 
resigned, he had no credentials. We then went to another 
chamber, and spoke to each of the representatives, one 
by one, enquiring after their health. Subsequently Prince 
Bismarck came, and with him a long conversation ensued. 
Next Marshal Boon, the War Minister, came ; and then 
Marshal Moltke, with whom we conversed a little. 

After this, changing our (state) costume (for a private 
one), we mounted our carriage and drove to the Zoolo- 
gical Gardens. To-daj^ also (Whit-Monday) was a festival 
of the Franks, and the whole population of the city were 
in commotion. There was an enormous crowd, and 
numerous equipages in the road, and on both sides. Bands 
were playing hi the gardens. There were many ponds, and 
various species of aquatic fowl in the ponds. Next we 
came to beautiful separate large cages, in which the 
various kinds of beasts were kept apart. Different birds 
of prey, — eagles, a pair of condors, which are a well- 
known bird of prey brought from the New-World (Ame- 
rica). It is a singular creature, of a dusky black colour, 
and of great ferocity ; but its talons are not like those of 
the eagle, since it belongs to the class of feeders on 
carrion. 



82 Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap. m. 

There were various kinds of cranes from Africa, India, 
the New-World, and other parts ; much more wild and 
beautiful than the common crane of Persia. All the dif- 
ferent species of birds produced in the whole world are 
there collected together, so that it is impossible to mention 
them all. What we had formerly seen pourtrayed in 
books, we here saw living. 

We then entered the corridor in which are the cages of 
the carnivorous quadrupeds, — the beasts of prey. Here 
were wild beasts that cannot be imagined, maned-lions of 
Africa, — which I had not hitherto seen, save in books, — 
huge in bulk, terrible in appearance, with very thick 
black manes hanging down, their heads as large as those 
of elephants, or larger ; with glaring eyes especially ter- 
rific ; with graceful bodies resembling velvet. The keeper 
raised high a piece of flesh ; the lion rose on his hind 
feet and seized the flesh. His stature was from three to 
four ells (10 J feet to 14 feet). The flesh was placed on 
a truck, and so conveyed from den to den and given to 
the beasts. 

The compartment which looks out on this corridor, 
and is subdivided to hold the different beasts, has a door 
of stout timber that can be raised by a chain. The other 
side of the door is where the animals walk about. When 
the door is raised, the beast goes to that other side ; the 
door is then quickly lowered, and the den is swept clean. 
The compartment is floored with timber very carefully. 
No one is allowed to go near these creatures ; and the 
flesh is given to them through the interstices of the fronts 
of their cages. 



chap, in.] Prussia, Germany, Belgium, 83 

I was extremely tempted to sta} r and observe these 
lions a long while ; but, through the thronging of the 
crowds of spectators, this was impossible. 

I saw several enormous tigers, African and Indian; 
two black leopards, from Africa, very singular and ter- 
rific. Also some other lions; one, a maned-lion, of a 
good size, though his mane was not as yet so large as 
those of the two lions first seen. There was a lioness 
that had given birth to several cubs in that very establish- 
ment, her cubs having grown up. There were many 
leopards, various chetahs, strange-looking hyaenas from 
Africa that made curious noises. In short, I saw nume- 
rous cages, in each of which were animals of many kinds, 
various monkeys, and the like. There were two elephants ; 
one very large, that had been brought from India ; the 
other from Africa. The African elephant is very diffe- 
rent from that of India, its ears being much broader and 
larger. There were three giraffes, and a zebra, i.e., a 
wild horse, the body of which is in stripes, and very 
beautiful. Also many bisons, — the wild buffaloes of 
Africa and the New- World ; and large and small buffaloes 
(yaks ?) of Tibet, from the sides of which so much wool 
hung as to trail on the earth ; they looked very ferocious. 
Llamas, an animal between the cainel, ox, argali, and 
other species, and which runs very fast, were kept in 
spacious gardens enclosed with railings. There were 
argalis, mountain-goats (chamois or ibexes ?), and ante- 
lopes, from India and Africa; for instance, there was one 
argali as big as a horse, with long, thick, sharp horns, 
having no resemblance to the argali of Persia. Also 

g2 



84 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap, im 



various kinds of swine and wild boars : curious animals, 
too, of other species, and in such varieties, were collected 
in that place as cannot he ; computed. Every animal, 
wherever it may naturally exist, *was to be found there, 
and are there fed with all care and cleanliness. Various 
parrots, peacocks, golden pheasants of -'Australia, that are- 
very prett} r , were there ; also many lands of birds with 
magnificently-coloured plumage flew about, played, and 
amused themselves in very large aviary cages. The 
name of the director of these Zoological Gardens is 
Doctor Bodines, a learned and distinguished man. 

We now returned home, and somewhat later took a 
drive through various streets of the city. One place 
attracted my attention as being a park. I alighted and 
entered ; then I saw that it was a cemeteiy. But it was 
a charming place, where there were many nurse-maids 
with infants and little children. These flocked around 
me. 

Again mounting, we arrived at a circular open space- 
surrounded by buildings, and having pretty flower-beds 
in the middle. Here, too, w r e got down and strolled 
about for a while ; thence returning home again. 

The official in attendance upon us, whose name is 
General Bo'ien, was also in attendance on Napoleon 
during his captivity and seclusion ; as also upon the 
Sultan of Turkey while in Prussia. 

7th (Tuesday, 3rd June). — To-day I wish to go to the- 
Aquarium, a place where they keep marine animals and 
plants as a spectacle. 

In the morning, on rising, we went to visit the Empress 



ciiAr. in.] Prtcssia, Germany, Belgium, 85 

Augusta, who had newly arrived. As the Emperor was 
unwell, we did not see him, hut went to the apartments 
of the Empress, which are in the Emperor's palace.- She 
is an elderly woman, seventy years of age. We sat and 
conversed ; then, leading me away, she showed me over 
the apartments, which are nicety furnished. 

Next we went to the residence of the Heir- Apparent to 
see his wife, a daughter of Her Most Exalted Majesty the 
Sovereign of England, and her firstborn child. We sat 
and conversed a little. She has three sons and two 
daughters by the Heir-Apparent,, her eldest son being 
fifteen years of age, and her eldest daughter ten. The 
Heir-Apparent's house is plain. 

Keeping in mind the Aquarium, we rose, mounted our 
carriage, drove there, alighted at the gate, and went 
upstairs. The Heir- Apparent and a large assemblage of 
people were there. We were taken to some very strange 
and marvellous places, — dark corridors and caverns, hills 
and dales, cascades, fountains, all constructed of rocks 
from the mountains in such a manner that at first one 
cannot comprehend that he is not really in a cavern of a 
mountain, but is in the midst of a city. It is a curiosity 
of design, and is one of the things in this world worthy 
to be seen. The director, whose name is Hermess, 
explained all to us. They have placed various kinds of 
fishes, with other marine animals and seaweeds, in tanks 
covered over with large sheets of plate-glass or common 
glass ; and the water is incessantly renewed. From the 
spot where we stood the bottoms of the tanks were seen ; 
so that the fishes, the other animals, and the plants 



86 Diary of a Tour in Etirope. [chap. m. 

appeared to lis in their natural states, as though actually 
in the sea. Some were asleep, others in motion. There 
was one kind of animal like a bunch of flowers, roses, or 
lilies, full of filaments of various colours, and attached to 
a rock or to- a plant, without the least visible movement. 
Never could it be known that this is an animal endued 
with life ; but when the keeper of this place conveys 
down into the water a worm, and then lets it go, so as to 
fall into the midst of this bunch of flowers, then it moves, 
draws to itself the worm, and eats it. 

There were many sorts of strange fish, of all colours, 
some large, and others small ; there were numerous shell- 
fish, various crabs of many colours, frogs, and other 
things extremely interesting. Descending some more 
steps, we reached another place, the roof of which . was 
equally of rocks from the mountains, having no difference 
from a natural cavern. Here were varieties of aquatic 
birds, parrots of all colours, one kind of large white 
parrot (cockatoo) that has a voice extremely like that of 
a man. There was an inclosure (aviary) like a cage, in 
the middle of which a fountain was playing, and around 
which again were compartments like cages, in which 
artificial trees or shrubs were arranged; and every kind 
of bird that can be imagined in the world, from cold 
countries and from tropical places, are there to be found. 
All the forms of birds that I had seen in books, there, 
colour for colour, did I witness them. To all of them, 
with the utmost cleanliness, do they supply food 
and water. All these birds would at one time cry out 
together, at another would play or fly about ; and . the 



chap, hi.] Prussia^ Germany) Belgium. 8 7 

contemplation of them inspired me with the utmost 
amazement. 

There was another pair of animals, male and female, 
very curious, for which they had constructed in one 
corner a2?art a small house to them alone, which had an 
extremely small hole for an entrance, hy which they hoth 
went in together. They are of a yellow colour. Their 
head, mane, shape, and tail, are like those of the African 
maned-lion ; but their hands and feet resemble those of 
man and the monkey. Besides, they have a finger like 
the spur of a cock, at the end of which is a claw like the 
talon of a hawk. They were very tame, had a singular 
cry, and were fed on worms. (Mr. Bartlett, of the Zoolo- 
gical Gardens, Regent's Park, concludes from this descrip- 
tion that the animals seen were Silky Marmosets, or Lion 
Monkeys, midas rosalia, natives of Brazil, ivhich have 
more than once bred in the Society s gardens. I see they 
are also mentioned by the names of Marikina and jacchus 
rosalia.) 

Again two other animals were noticed, exceedingly 
interesting ; but these were said to be also visible at the 
Zoological Gardens. They are called " Sloths," and 
resemble melancholy, sorrowful men, are very inoffensive, 
and continually utter a cry like the chirping of a cricket. 

In short, I witnessed many wonders, and' then returned 
home. 

In the afternoon we were the Emperor's guest at dinner 
in the upper story of this very palace in which we are 
quartered. All the wives and lady princesses, all the 
princes of the Prussian royal family, all our princes, the 



SS Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap. m. 

Heir- Apparent, Prince Bismarck, Marshal Boon, Marshal 
Moltke, and others were present. A band played. This 
tipper palace is very ^magnificent, having many pictures, 
with sumptuous halls and apartments. 

After dinner we descended, and in the evening went to 
the city theatre, which is small, and has four tiers of 
seats. The Heir- Apparent, the Grand- Vazlr, and others 
were present. We sat in a box near the stage. They 
gave a beautiful entertainment, the last scene represent- 
ing the palace and gardens of Versailles, with the coro- 
nation of this very Emperor. The representatives of the 
Emperor, of all the leaders, of Marshal Moltke and Prince 
Bismarck, were dressed exactly like those personages. It 
was a beautiful scene ; i.e., it was not a picture, but a 
collection of men dressed up. At the conclusion we 
returned home. 

8th (Wednesday, 4th June). — To-day I have to go and 
see a review. Having breakfasted, I mounted my carriage, 
the Grand- Vazlr, my princes, and others with me. We 
went to the outskirts of the city, where a large concourse 
was assembled. The parade-ground was a beautiful piece 
of grass-land. Descending from our carriage, we mounted 
the charger of the Husamu-'s-saltana (sharp sword of 
sovereignty). The Empress, the wife of the Heir-Ap- 
parent, and others were present. The Emperor is still 
unwell. The battalions of infantry, together with the 
cavalry, were about eighteen thousand strong. We slowly 
went down in front of the line. The Heir- Apparent, the 
whole of the officers, and the Prince of Wurtemberg, who 
was in command, and is an old man, tall of stature, 



chap, in.] Prussia, Germany, Belgium. 89 

Frederick- Charles, Prince Charles, and others accom- 
panied us. We then took up our position, and the troops 
marched past, the infantry, cavahy, and artillery, in 
beautiful uniforms, and well armed, being reviewed. 
After .the ceremony, we remounted our carriage, and 
returned home. 

We were invited to dine with the Empress in the 
evening. We went ; all were there ; dinner was eaten ; 
and we returned home. From thence we went to the 
theatre. This evening was a gala evening at the theatre. 
All the women wore magnificent costumes ; all the men 
were in court dresses. We, the Empress, the other 
women, the Grand- Vazir, the Prussian princes, and our 
princes, sat in a large box fronting the stage. It was 
very hot. They brought out some pretty scenes. They 
danced nicety. After two acts, we went for a little space 
to a large saloon and had some conversation, and from 
thence to a box near the stage. The last scene enacted 
was of a king of Mawsil (Mosul, for Nineveh ; the king, 
Sardanapalus), who, after being vanquished by his ene- 
mies, cast himself, with all his effects and family, into 
the fire. It was a magnificent scene. From thence we 
came home. 

To-day, while returning from the review, we visited 
the Arsenal, i.e., the armoury. On the lower floor they 
have collected specimens of the cannon taken from the 
French and Austrians, with those of ancient artillery. 
In the middle of the court of the Arsenal there was a 
colossal figure of a lion in metal, which had been cast 
and set up in Holstein by the Danish Government, in 



90 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. hi. 

memory of the conquest of Holstein from Germany. 
When the Prussians retook the two provinces of Schleswig 
and Holstein, they brought away this lion, and placed it 
here. It is as big as a mountain. We went to the 
upper story, which is very spacious, and where, they 
have collected an enormous number of muskets. Of 
every model, ancient, modern, or otherwise, were muskets 
to be seen there. The general in charge of this Arsenal 
was a tall man, of the name of Treh, who spoke French 
well. His left arm had been carried away by a French 
shot in the battle of Gravelotte, the last that was fought. 

It is worthy of remark that in this city the noise of 
carriages never ceases from evening until morning, nor 
from morn to night. One evening the Fire -Brigade came 
with torches and went through their practice at the foot 
of the palace. 

9th {Thursday, 5th June). — This morning I started by 
train and went to Potsdam with all my suite, excepting 
the Ptizadu-'d-Dawla, who remained in town, as they 
have completed the telegraphic wires to Tehran, and he 
is talking with them. The Order of the Black Eagle in 
diamonds, with its yellow riband, &c, was sent for us by 
the Emperor through General Boien, who is in attendance 
on us. 

Well; we arrived at Potsdam, alighted, and at once 
went upstairs. The Empress, the wife of the Heir- 
Apparent, with others, were there. The garrison of this 
place is to be reviewed to-day. The whole of the troops 
were drawn out in a parade-ground at the foot of this 
palace. When the review was over, the Heir- Apparent 



chap: in.] Prussia, Germany, Belgium. 91 

and others came upstairs, where breakfast was prepared. 
As I had no appetite, I excused myself to the Heir- 
Apparent, mounted my carriage, and went for a drive to 
the Orangery. It has a very handsome and cheerful hall, 
well lighted, its roof being partially of marble, like a 
vault. Paintings, marble statues, and beautifully fur- 
nished apartments there were. It is one of Frederick's 
buildings. From thence we went driving about, and 
alighted near a large fountain, sat down awhile on the 
steps, and contemplated the jet-d'eau. Again we drove 
about. In the park there is a mansion, which is magni- 
ficent, named the Charlotte Pavilion. It was the resi- 
dence of Dr. Humboldt, so celebrated, who died ten years 
ago. It has a grassy terrace, a fountain, a basin of water, 
some small rooms, full of curiosities, preserved like those 
of a museum. It had a curator, who could not speak 
French. At the top of the steps of this building there 
was the figure of an antelope, which had been cast in 
metal, of a very graceful form. 

From thence we again returned to the Orangery, per- 
formed our devotions, and towards the middle of the 
afternoon went to the palace of Babelbrig to dine by 
invitation with the Emperor. It was a long way off. 
Passmg over a long bridge across the river Havel, which 
separates the town of Potsdam from this palace, and 
through many a charming site and beautiful avenue', we 
reached the gate of the mansion. The Empress, the 
Heir-Apparent, Prince Bismarck, Marshal Boon, the 
Prussian princes, our princes, with others, and the lady 
princesses, were all present. The building is very fine, 



92 Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap. hi. 

•and was erected by the present Emperor. It has hand- 
some basins of water, good prospects, lawns, flower- 
gardens, all very beautiful. We had dinner, and conver- 
sation ensued. After dinner we took a walk on the lawn. 
There was a fountain that rose from the middle of the 
river to a very great height, and of great volume, that 
caused great pleasure to see. The Empress was in a 
carriage with the Heir- Apparent. He alighted, and we 
walked together for a space. Then I mounted with the 
Empress, and we went to the residence of the Heir- 
Apparent. He and the others followed on foot. There 
we alighted, and I, with the Heir-Apparent, set off to 
visit the tomb of Frederick the Great. We now repassed 
that bridge over the river, and entered the town of Pots- 
dam, so reaching the door of the mausoleum, which is a 
building like a church. Flags taken from the French 
and others were there seen. Two tombs were in the 
mausoleum, one of Frederick, the other of his father. 
After standing there a space, we returned, and again went 
to the Orangery, where we spent a short time, and then 
the Heir- Apparent went to his own mansion, that was 
now illuminated. Later, we followed him to his mansion, 
which is a charming place. All the Diplomatic Corps, 
women, princes, and others were there. The park oppo- 
site was illuminated in colours. The fountains threw up 
red water, which was very beautiful; but there were no 
fireworks. The wife of the Heir-Apparent wore the 
Order which I had conferred on her, with its riband. 
Later, the Empress took my hand and led me down- 
stairs ; we sat a little, and we walked about a little ; 



chap, in.] Prussia, Germany, Belgitcm. 93. 

then went to a long room where a buffet was laid out, 
i.e., where they had spread many kinds of food on a 
tahle. The lady and gentlemen guests all sat down at 
the table, and eating of the viands was achieved. We 
then took leave of the Heir- Apparent and others, and 
went to the station. 

In that place one beautiful saloon was seen, that was 
of the time of Frederick, the whole being inlaid with 
mother-of-pearl, haliotis, and similar shells in beautiful 
designs. 

The train started, and we arrived at the city station,, 
which is a noble work, with many chandeliers, all of iron 
and glass. Thence we proceeded home, driven in our 
carriage. 

10th (Friday, 6th June). — In the morning, after break- 
fast, went to the Parliament, i.e., to the Council-House 
of Germany, which is in an outskirt of the town. We 
sat in a gallery. There were about a hundred deputies 
present, the rest of the chairs being unoccupied. Prince 
Bismarck was in his place, to the right, and below the 
seat of the President of the Council. The name of the 
President of the Council is Simpson. The Under-Secre- 
tary of War was standing below Prince Bismarck, and was 
speaking to the deputies, and refuting, on the part of the 
Government, the proposal of the deputies about the 
maintenance of the Ecole des Cadets. He delivered a 
long speech. This Ecole des Cadets is a college in 
Potsdam for young nobles and the sons of living and 
deceased officers. The excellent officers of Prussia issue 
from this college. The Heir-Apparent was himself edu- 



94 Diary of a Tour in Etcrope. [chap. m. 

cated there. One day the Heir- Apparent brought those 
students in front of our palace, where they went through 
their exercise. The students are seven hundred in 
number. As the expense of maintenance is heavy, the 
nation is dissatisfied; but Prince Bismarck wished to 
augment it. 

We soon rose from there and went to the residence of 
Prince Bismarck to return his visit. He was at home, 
and came to meet us. His house is small and simple. 
His wife and daughter were seated in a room. A long 
conversation ensued. 

We then left, and proceeded to the Museum, which is 
opposite our palace. The Director, an aged person 
named Lepsinius, came (to receive us). On the walls of 
the staircase of the building there are designs and scenes, 
very beautiful and old, drawn on the surface of the 
plaster. Going upstairs, we walked about. There was a 
crowd. Plaster figures, small and large, all imitatively 
prepared after the works of Greek and other artists, were 
there in great numbers. Other objects also, in porcelain, 
crystal, ivory, amber, wood, &c, were seen. We went 
about a while, and then returned home. 

Before long we set out again to go and pay a visit of 
adieu to the Emperor. The Emperor's wife was present. 
This day, on the bank of the Ehine, Prince Aldeberg 
(Adalbert), cousin of the Emperor, and Director of all the 
war-ships of Germany, has died ; the aged grandmother 
of the Emperor also is dead; and for this reason a 
concert, instrumental and vocal, appointed for this even- 
ing, is put off. Well; the Emperor came in also, sat 



chap, in.] Prussia, Germany, Belgium, 95 

down, and we conversed. The wife of the Emperor 
presented me with a china vase as a gift. 

We then went to the Aquarium, walked about a bit, 
and to-day have examined attentively that slothful animal 
(the sloth ; choloepus didactylus ; bradypus didactylus). 
On its front paws it has two long claws like those of an 
eagle, and on its hind paws three such. Wherever it 
attaches itself, it is with difficulty that it is separated. 
Went home. 

Wtli (Saturday, 7th June). — We have to go to the cities 
of Cologne and Wiesbaden. Rose early in the morning. 
There was a violent wind, the weather being cloudy and 
cold. We dressed in anticipation of the arrival of the 
Heir- Apparent. When he came, we mounted a carriage 
and drove to the station in an outskirt of the city ; there 
got into the train, said good-bye, and started. Much as 
we wished to sleep, it was impossible. As soon as my 
eyes closed, we would arrive at a station, talking and 
discussion would ensue ; there was nothing for it but we 
must dress and hold ourselves in readiness until the 
governor of such a town, or the commander of such a 
fortress, should be introduced by the Mu'tamadu-'l-Mulk 
and took himself off again. 

Mirza Malkam Khan has remained in Berlin to settle 
with the Prussian Government a contract for the purchase 
of muskets. 

Well ; the appearance of the country, the grass-lands, 
the trees, the forests of fir and yews, the flowers, the 
. rivers, the populousness of the villages and towns, every- 
where, were just the same as those seen when we were 



96 Diary of a Tour in Ettrope. [chap. m. 

coming to Berlin. We passed the city of Hanover, 
which is very pretty, and then the cities and regions of 
Westphalia, which are charming spots. Here we saw a 
few mountains and high hills, and crossed numerous 
rivers, one very large, — and at an hour to sunset we 
arrived at the works of M. Krupp, who came himself to 
the railway (to meet us). He is a tall, thin old man. 
He has himself, in a certain space of time, created the 
whole of these works. The cannon of every government 
does he furnish from hence. Guns of every description, 
such as large cannon for forts, cannon for ships, and 
cannon for field use in campaigns, are all manufactured 
here. His plant and workshops, of which steam is the 
motive power, resemble a mighty city. He employs 
15,000 workmen, for the whole of whom he has erected 
houses and lodgings, paying them salaries and wages. 
After deducting his expenditure, his own yearly income 
amounts to 800,000 tumans (320,000?.). 

We went to the shop of the steam hammers. They 
are singular hammers, like mountains ; and, worked by 
steam, fulfil the office of forging cannons. They make 
these of any pattern' they desire. When the hammer 
strikes the gun, the earth floor of the workshop emits a 
sound and trembles. It was a marvellous thing. We 
went all over the works, and they turned out some large 
and some small cannon. We then went to a house which 
he had prepared, and there we dined. He gave us an 
excellent dinner. In the conservatory of this house we 
saw a tree, the leaves of which were two ells (seven feet) 
long, and half an ell (twenty- one inches) wide. The 



chap, in.] Prussia, Germany, Belgium. 97 

steam-hammers, in spite of their great distance from this 
room, made the earth shake here as though in an earth- 
quake. M. Krupp made us a present of a most mag- 
nificent hreech-loading six-pounder cannon, with all its 
appliances. 

We now went back to the railway. It was night. I 
lay down. Sleep overtook me. It was two hours' journey 
to the city of Cologne. All at once we sprang up from 
sleep ; I heard the sound of music, and of voices speak- 
ing. I knew that we had reached that city, and that the 
authorities were waiting to be received in audience. I 
dressed ; I stood up ; the authorities came up ; then I 
alighted and inspected their troops. Now we mounted a 
carriage again and entered the city. There was a great 
concourse. A beautiful city appeared before my sight ; 
it has a large, lofty, well-placed church, which they say 
is the first in Europe. I went to an hotel, a cheerful 
building, and there we took up our quarters. After 
awhile I again slept. 

12th (Sunday, Sth June). — This afternoon we have to 
go to the city of Wiesbaden. In the morning on arising 
from sleep we breakfasted, mounted a carriage, and drove 
to the Botanical and Zoological Gardens, which are near 
the city. The wealthy of the city have supplied the 
funds, and maintain these two gardens for their own 
amusement and that of the people. We passed by at 
the foot of the great church. It is a most imposing 
edifice. It is more than four hundred years that they have 
built it here, and they are still busy working at it, as 
it is not yet completed, the cranes being on the spot. 



98 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. m. 

At one side of it is a very magnificent structure, into 
which we did not go, but we examined it all round. It 
has many conical domes. It has so many openings and 
apertures, and is so vast and so high, that many crows 
have therein made their nests. 

Thence we passed on, and saw a very long iron bridge 
that spans the river Rhine. The river flows through the 
middle of the town ; but the bulk of the populous part 
of it was on one side of the river, where our quarters 
were. We arrived at the Botanical Gardens. It has a 
building, in front of which are beautiful beds of flowers, 
basins with fountains, and lawns. They had laid down 
an india-rubber tube, which incessantly revolved in the 
water, and from its orifice water flowed to all parts of the 
lawn. Some had two tubes; they revolved like the 
catherine-wheels of fireworks, and so scattered the water. 
Well ; we entered the room and the hall of the plants, 
where we saw some flowers, some date-palms, and others ; 
we passed on into a small hot-house to which they had 
given the temperature of India, and in which they had 
reared African, American, and Indian plants. There 
was a plantain-tree, which has large leaves. One tree 
was seen, the leaves of which were narrow, but were five 
ells (seventeen feet six inches) long. 

Coming out from thence, we entered a fish-house 
(aquarium), which was small. As at Berlin, the fishes 
were behind sheets of plate-glass. We surveyed them 
and came out again. We sat down awhile. From the 
other side of the glazed windows the people looked on in 
great numbers. The weather was very cold, with rain 



chap, in.] Prussia, Germany, Belgium. 99 

falling at intervals. Red roses were newly come into 
bloom. 

We now went to the Zoological Gardens, which are 
very beautiful and grand. Such animals as we had seen 
at Berlin, such as maned-lions, black leopards, &c, we 
found here also, though in somewhat less numbers. The 
small, beautiful, many-coloured birds were few ; but 
there were many strange and wonderful large birds, of 
charming plumage, that I did not see at Berlin. A 
large crowned pigeon (gaura coronata) from the Molucca 
Islands, which is a splendid bird ; various kinds of 
turkeys, crested, with fine plumage, but strange-looking, 
there were in numbers f the condor was there ; also 
two ostriches. The feet of the ostriches had two toes, 
of an unusual form. Large black bears, white polar 
bears like snow, diminutive horses, one white male 
camel in heat, were there. It is very strange that a 
camel should be in heat during the summer season. 
There was a humped ox from India (zebu, bos indicus) ; 
the horns and every other particular of which are similar 
to those of ordinary oxen, but which is of the size of 
a sheep. A kind of male argali — bearded argali (aoudad, 
ammotragus tragelaphus) was seen, brought from Morocco, 
the head, the colour of body, and the horns of which 
were like the vicious rams of Persia, but the hair on the 
breast of which was yellow and very long, and from the 
knees to the soles of the feet of which hung a thick 
fringe of hair. There were so many kinds of birds and 
quadrupeds that one became bewildered. As a pen for 
the argalis and antelopes, a kind of artificial mountain 

h2 



i oo Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap, hi, 

was formed, with fountains of running water, that had 
caused grass and flowers to spring up on the stone pave- 
ment, — all most surprising. 

We then remounted and drove over the bridge. It 
had two roadways, one for ordinary horse vehicles, the 
other for railway trains, between which an iron network 
acted as a partition. The bridge must be a thousand 
feet hi length. Il is all of iron. The river Rhine is a 
mighty stream, very wide, clear, and pleasing. Large 
steamers ply thereon. Merely for a drive, we went to 
the further side of the city, and again returned to Cologne 
over the bridge, and by the foot of the dome and of the 
great church. There were beautiful shops, magnificent 
houses of wealthy men. 

Now we went to the station and took our seat in the 
train. The HakTmu-'l-Mamalik and Mr, Thomson both 
started to-day for London. Every place hi the country 
was beautiful, populous, full of cultivation, trees, woods, 
and forests ; through such did we pass till we reached 
the city of Bonn. Here the train stopped, and we 
alighted. A regiment of hussar cavalry, special to the 
Emperor, was drawn out on foot, the colonel of which is 
the Prince of Eeuss, brother of the German Ambassador 
at (St.) Peter(sburg), whom we had seen there. He was 
received in audience. There was also an old marshal of 
distinction, retired from service, and residing here, whose 
name was Hervard Bitenfeld. We next reached Coblentz. 
The train stopped; the Governor of the place, with 
others, came to an audience. The guns of the town 
fired a salute. It is a large place. .We crossed the 



chap, in.] Prussia, Germany, Belghcm. ior 

Rhine by a bridge, the river here being narrow, with hills 
on either side. The bank of the river is all villages, 
towns, cultivations of vines, cherry-trees, and the like. 
The cherries were ripe and the trees laden with fruit. 
Each vine was bound to a stout stake. The whole hill- 
side and the plain is one continuous vineyard, the famous 
Ehein-wein being produced from these very vines. On 
either side of the river is there a railway, and continually 
do the trains run. There are also roads for carriages, 
waggons, and pedestrians, well made and kept. The 
whole region is a garden. All the mountains and plains 
are grapevines, fruit-trees, flower-gardens, and avenues ; 
with towns and cities at frequent intervals. One wonders, 
and is never tired with admiring. Every now and then a 
beautiful solitary pavilion, with large and small summer- 
houses, in the best taste and of the most graceful forms, 
are seen erected on the river's side, or up on a hill over- 
looking the stream, like a paradise. Some ruins of old 
castles were also noticed on the mountains and on the 
river bank. The going and coming of the trains, the 
buildings, the verdure and flowers, whether natural or 
artificial, put one beside one's self. For several leagues 
our road was (through a country) similar to that witnessed 
on our first visit to the land of Gilan and the river 
Safid-rud. Sometimes our trains passed over the tops 
of the roofs of houses in streets of villages. In fine, it 
was indescribable. After awhile the mountains and 
valleys terminated, and the river flowed on our right. 
By degrees we left the river at a distance, and we turned 
in the direction of Wiesbaden, where at length we arrived. 



102 Diary of a Totir in Europe. [chap. hi. 

There was a crowd of all denominations. As this city 
possesses hot mineral springs, strangers flock to it from 
all quarters. We mounted a carriage with the Grand- 
Vazir and the General (in Waiting), and drove to our 
quarters, a palace belonging to the Government. Our 
own apartments are in the middle story, the others being 
lodged higher up. The windows of our room look out 
on a street and a square where there is a church of great 
height; the spire thereof, being the spire of the clock 
(tower), rises to an extremely acute point. At the four 
sides of the church, there are other four constructions 
with sharp-pointed spires. 

In the evening a band played, a large crowd collecting. 
In niches and apertures in the front of the church, elec- 
tric lights and Bengal lights were exhibited. They had 
improvised, by means of a pumping-engine, a very lofty 
jet-d'eau in front of the church, with a great body of 
water; and this was made to assume various colours, 
according to the nature of the light thrown upon it, 
which was very charming to behold. 

To-day we saw Nazar Aqa, our Minister Eesident at 
Paris, and also Mirza Ahmad, son of Mirza Muhammad 
Ra'is, who had both come here from Paris. 

ISth (Monday, 9th June), — We rose in the morning, 
and having taken breakfast, mounted our carriage and 
drove out to the town of Schierstein, near the river 
Rhine, where there is a manufactory of champagne, a 
variety of wine. Quitting the city (of Wiesbaden), we 
followed a very delightful avenue, for the space of about 
an hour. This avenue is arranged as a carriage-drive, 



chap, in.] Prussia, Germany, Belgium. 103 

and is exceedingly beautiful. The weather was cloudy 
and cold. We passed through a village and a town where 
there was an assemblage of people. Quitting this, we drove 
along the river-bank at about the distance of five hun- 
dred feet from the water. Passing by some pretty sites, 
a charming garden attracted my attention. It had a low 
wall, and an iron gate that was closed. We there got 
out of our carriage, and on knocking (or ringing; lit., 
making a noise), the gardener came and opened the gate. 
There were several Prussian officials with us, who entered 
the garden likewise. It was a sweetly-pretty place with 
nice walks and delicious spots, lawns, red roses, &c. 
The Ehine in prospect, with its surroundings, resembled 
a paradise. The mansion was magnificent and tastefully 
built ; its little hot-house, very pleasing ; its trellises in 
decussated work, for the support of vines, were con- 
structed in the best style. In it there was a wooden 
hive for the honey-bees, which was quite a novelty. 
There were basins with fountains, the source of these 
latter being in a high turret built of stone, to represent 
a natural hill, from whence the water was brought to the 
fountains, through pipes, &c. There were edible cherries 
of veiy fine sorts. The doors of the rooms were locked, 
but the interiors of those on the ground-floor were 
visible through the plate-glass windows, each being 
furnished with chairs, tables, looking-glasses, carpets, 
and various numerous articles of embellishment. This 
house was the propeiiy of a man of consideration, named 
Blundberg, but he was himself away at (St.) Peter (sburg), 
and his wife in Wiesbaden ; they were consequently not 



104 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. m. 

presented. It is a most charming summer residence, 
and he bought it for thirty-five thousand tumans 
(14,000L). There was also in a cage within this garden 
a handsome monkey, the tip of the nose of which 
was of a light blue colour. There were also several 
elderly damsels, who brought us tea, bread, sweetmeats, 
and the like. We walked about here a considerable 
time, and I then mounted my horse " Blaze," the others 
got into the carriage, and we started for the town of 
Biebrich (Biberich), which is of some importance. 

On the bank of the Rhine we noticed a large park and 
mansion belonging to the Duke of Nassau, who was, a 
few years ago, the independent sovereign of this region. 
He is now in Vienna. His brother, Prince Nicholas, 
was riding in the park with his wife and her brother. 
The prince wore spectacles and a long yellow beard ; his 
wife was from Russia, and wore a black riding habit 
as she rode. We conversed together a while. I then 
galloped my horse about a bit and again mounted 
my carriage, when the prince, with his wife and her 
brother accompanied us on horseback for the space 
of half an hour. They then left us, and we entered 
Biebrich. 

This town is populous and very flourishing, has good 
shops, many houses, and considerable traffic. Passing 
through it, we fell into an excellent avenue, and drove 
towards Wiesbaden. This avenue had three roadways — 
the middle one for carriages, very wide ; on one side was 
a ride for horsemen, and on the other a path for 
pedestrians. 



•chap, in.] Prussia, Germany, Belgium. 105 

When, on quitting the town and garden first mentioned 
above, we turned to proceed to Biebrich, we observed at 
•a distance, as we went along, the bridge and town of 
Biebrich coming into view. It is a place of some im- 
portance, and has regular fortifications. 

We reached home in the middle of the afternoon. In 
the evening there was an illumination, with performances 
of legerdemain in a garden within the city ; but as it was 
not a befitting place, we did not go to see it. The 
prince, Wajlhu-'l-'lah Mirza went, and was loud in his 
praises of the conjurer. The Grand- Vazir, the princes, 
and the rest of our suite have all visited the place. We 
did not go out for a promenade this evening, but retired 
to rest. 

\4$i (Tuesday, 10th June). — Hose in the morning and 
breakfasted. Mounted a carriage, leaving the Grand- 
Vazir and others behind at Wiesbaden, and drove to the 
station. Got into a train and started for Frankfort- on- 
the-Main, taking with me all our princes, &c, excepting 
the I'tizadu-'s-Saltana, the Nusratu-'d-Dawla, and the 
Il-Khani. The distance to Frankfort is about the same 
as that from Tehran to (the village of) Karj. We did it 
in an horn' or less. Every part was populous and culti- 
vated. We went by the side of the city of Mayence, of 
which the chief part is on the other side of the Bhine. 

We reached the station (at Frankfort), alighted, 
mounted a carriage amidst the usual military honours, 
and drove through the streets, where crowds were col- 
lected. The cities of Firangistan (Europe in general) 
all resemble one another. When one has been seen, the 



106 Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap. m. 

arrangement, condition, and scale of the others is in 
one's possession. 

We went a little way outside the town and arrived at a 
suburban district, where we remarked better and more 
beautiful detached mansions than those within the city. 
The whole environs of the town are full of parks y 
avenues, and flower-gardens. We came to a garden 
known by the name of " The Palms." It is now three 
years that this garden has been established with funds 
contributed by the wealthy inhabitants for the pleasure 
and pastime of the public. There was a large concourse 
of men and women assembled. Troops of the line were 
drawn up, their bands playing. We alighted. It was a 
garden exquisitely laid out in flower-beds with many kinds 
of flowers. There was a basin of water in the midst, a 
fountain from which spouted to the height of five ells 
(seventeen feet six inches). The Director of the garden 
came forward and made a speech. We passed on among 
the women and men, went up some steps into a building 
covered over and laid out in beds of flowers. Further 
on we entered a covered park, which is the palm-house. 
The roof is arched and glazed, so as to be protected 
from frost in winter. There were some tall and hand- 
some palm-trees, but they never yield dates. There 
were also various American plants, a fountain, and 
further on a cascade, from which the water fell over 
rocks, as in a natural mountain. There were a number 
of private women and men, with great numbers of officers. 
We went to the upper story of the Conservatory. This 
building has been constructed solely for the purposes of 



chap, in.] Prussia, Germany \ Belgium. 107 

instrumental music, eating, and drinking wine. The 
band played. There was a nice view over the city and 
the garden. We sat there awhile, descended, mounted 
our carriage, and drove to the Zoological Gardens. 
Although this establishment was not equal to that at 
Cologne, it was not bad. It possessed many animals ; — 
white and black bears, some argalis, a ram and ewe of a 
certain kind (mouflons), from the island of Sicily or 
Sardinia in Italy, like those of the regions of Persia, but 
somewhat blacker ; also parrots of various plumage, in 
cages hanging from trees. There was one kind of very 
handsome parrot, small; a large maned-lion, a lioness, a 
panther and two tigers. There was a big elephant, to 
which they brought a large musical box (an organ), the 
handle for playing which the elephant turned round 
rapidly with his trunk, so playing it, while he himself 
danced to the tune. The keeper then brought to him a 
different instrument, that children and others play with 
their mouths ; the elephant took it unhesitatingly in his 
trunk, and began to play it and to dance ; — which was 
very singular. 

We now returned by the train to Wiesbaden. After a 
short rest they brought our carriage, and I went out for 
a drive. Leaving the city behind us, we got into avenues 
and gardens, where the notables and others have beau- 
tiful detached mansions with nicely laid-out beds of 
choice flowers. Flocks of women and men were taking 
the air in these walks, where we drove about for a time, and 
then went further up to an eminence with many trees and 
knolls, that overlooks the city. Still, every spot was full 



io8 Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap. hi. 

of avenues and carriage roads. The tomb of a niece of 
the Eussian Emperor Nicholas, wife of the Duke of 
Nassau, was there, erected on a mountain, she having 
died when only nineteen years of age. She was buried 
here, in this country, and the Russian Government has 
built this tomb of stone and marble in a most beautiful 
manner. It has more than one gilt dome. Her own 
statue, recumbent as in the throes of death, beautifully 
carved in marble, is placed over her grave. She was a 
•daughter of (the Grand-Duke) Michael, brother of 
Nicholas, and her husband was the former sovereign of 
this country, who is still alive, and resides in Vienna. 

This country is called Nassau, and Wiesbaden is its 
capital. It is now possessed by the Prussians. The 
city of Frankfort, also, to which we went to-day, formerly 
was part of it; but, after the war with Austria, it was 
conquered by Prussia, and a heavy fine was imposed 
upon it. 

We now returned home, dined and again mounting 
our carriage, we drove to a very fine building (the Kur- 
Saal), in front of which was a square with a garden and 
trees. There was a fountain playing in the middle, 
and all around were shops. They had prepared a dis- 
play of fireworks here, and in the upper story of the 
building they had arranged chairs. Here we sat down, 
with the Grand-Vazir, the princes, and the rest. There 
was also a large concourse of women and men in the 
balcony and in the square. The fireworks were very 
successful. 

This over, we walked round the rooms and halls of 



chap, in.] Prussia, Germany, Belgium. 109 

the building, which are very sumptuous, with many chan- 
deliers and other furniture, being now the property of 
the State. In some of the rooms they still play at 
chess ; in others there are large tables, and the news- 
papers of the whole world are brought there for people 
to read, and thence to acquire information. From thence 
we went out into the garden, and sat down by the brink 
of the basin. A daughter of Malkam (Sir John Malcolm), 
the English Minister Plenipotentiary to the Presence of 
the late Khaqan (Fath-'Ali Shah, great-grandfather to 
the author), of pious memory, was seen here, — a fat old 
woman with a very pretty daughter, both of them being 
presented to us. We conversed ; they are now residing 
in Prussia. The wife and daughter of General Bo'ien 
were also presented. We then returned home. 

Mirza Malkam Khan, who had remained behind in 
Berlin for the purchase of muskets, rejoined us this 
evening. Dr. Tholozan will go to-morrow to see M. 
Krupp about the purchase of cannon. 

Of mornings the wives of villagers bring in on carts 
fruit, vegetables, and the like, to sell ; and form a 
market for these commodities opposite our quarters 
around the church. After a time, when all are sold off, 
they go away. 

Saddle- donkeys are much in use ; especially the women 
hire them and ride on them. 

15th (Wednesday, 11th June). — God willing, we have 
to go to Baden-Baden, and to be the guest for one night 
of the (Grand-) Duke, whose wife is the daughter of the 
Emperor of Germany. He is free and independent; 



1 1 o Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap. m. 

coin is struck and prayer is read in his name, which is 
Frederick ; that of his wife being Louise. 

In the morning, therefore, we rose, breakfasted at 
home, and then proceeded by train, the Grand- Vazir, 
the princes, and all the rest of my suite accompanying 
me, excepting the Il-Khani, who, with a few others, re- 
mained behind at Wiesbaden. 

We passed the city of Mayence, which is strongly 
fortified. This very general who is in attendance on us 
is the Governor of the place, in this sense, that he 
commands the forts and the garrison, whereas the 
Administrator of the Finances and such like is ap- 
pointed by the Duke of Darmstadt. The town is the 
property of the Duke, and the Prussians have forced the 
garrison upon him. 

Passing by Mayence to Frankfort, and from thence to 
the city of Darmstadt, we here fell upon a curious coin- 
cidence. At the very moment of our arrival, we saw a 
train come in and go past us, when it stopped. We 
were informed that it was the Emperor of Russia on his 
way from Vienna to go to the hot-baths at Ems. We 
sent the Grand- Vazir to make enquiries after His Ma- 
jesty's health; upon which, the Emperor himself, his 
Heir-Apparent, his Heir-Apparent's wife, Alderberg, 
and others, came (to see us). They were all dressed in 
plain clothes, not in uniforms. We alighted, went (to 
meet them), and shook hands. We had a very affec- 
tionate interview. Afterwards, the brother of the Em- 
press of Russia, — a tall man, and independent ruler of 
this country, over which Prussia exercises no rule, and 



chap, in.] Prussia, Germany, Belgium. 1 1 1 

also his wife, were presented ; as also a daughter of the 
Sovereign of England, wife of the son, or grandson, of 
this ruler, whose child lately fell from a window and died 
in consequence, for whom she was still in mourning, — the 
full details of which have been previously given.* 

After taking leave, we again joined the train and 
arrived at Heidelberg, the first place within the domi- 
nions of the Grand-Duke of Baden. Here the train 
stopped, and a few individuals — the Governor and some 
Professors of the Colleges of Baden — were introduced. 
One of the Professors made a speech in Persian. Then 
we proceeded to the city of Carlsruhe, the capital of the 
Grand-Duke of Baden. He himself, with the whole of 
the grandees of his State, Ministers, Commanders, and 
others, was at the station (to meet me). I alighted; 
military honours were observed, there being a band, and 
a company of the (Grand-) Duke's troops drawn up, which 
we inspected. The nature of the uniform, the musket, 
the cap, and everything else, of these troops of Baden, 
were similar to those of the Prussians ; only their caps 
bore a distinguishing mark for Baden. In the French 
war the Baden contingent showed great firmness ; twenty 
thousand men having been furnished. Now, in time of 
peace, they are but ten to fifteen thousand (under arms). 

Carlsruhe, the capital of Baden, is a beautiful city and 
prosperous. Its population is thirty-seven thousand. Its 
streets are long and straight. All the produce of this 
region is independent of irrigation. 

* No such details are in the printed work. They were probably struck 
out, without attention to this reference to them. — I. W R. 



1 1 2 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. m. 

I and the (Grand-) Duke mounted together in a car- 
riage and drove off, being followed by the others. The 
weather is always cloudy. Women and men in great 
numbers stood on both sides of the horseway in the 
streets, very respectful and quiet. The (Grand-) Duke 
himself is a very handsome, noble, and courteous man; 
He has a yellow beard, very long and thick; his face is 
fair and rosy ; his eyes are large, his body robust. We 
talked together for a while in French, until we arrived in 
a square fronting the ancient, ancestral palace of the 
(Grand-) Duke. The square was very pretty, with flower- 
gardens and fountains. Some regular cavalry marched 
before us. We alighted in front of the palace ; the wife 
of the (Grand-) Duke came forward, to whom we gave 
our hand. The wife of the (Grand-) Duke's brother, 
who is a Russian lady princess of distinction, by name 
Marie, and niece or cousin of the Emperor of Russia, 
was also present. She wore magnificent jewels on her 
head. We shook hands with her also ; and then went 
upstairs. It is a beautiful palace, full of ornaments and 
furniture, &c. The (Grand-) Duke led us away to a 
private chamber that was specially assigned to us. We 
rested awhile and changed our costume, going thence 
to the dining-room, where all were assembled. The 
(Grand-) Duke was seated on our right, and his wife on 
our left. We had an excellent dinner ; after which we 
walked about a bit, and then went down to the lower 
garden of the palace, which contained some beautiful 
flowers. All were there with us ; we again walked about 
a little, and then, mounting a carriage with the (Grand-) 



chap, in.] Pntssia, Germany, Belgium. 113 

Duke, we drove along the road by which we had come, 
went to the station, got into a train, and started for 
the city of Baden-Baden. The (Grand-) Duke returned 
home, to come on to-morrow. 

As we passed by Darmstadt, everywhere to our left the 
mountains and forests were near at hand ; while to our 
right was a level country. But at first the mountains to 
our left were like hills and had not much forest. As we 
went further and got near to Baden (-Baden), the forests 
were denser and the hills somewhat higher. The whole 
surface of the plains and mountains here was green with 
grass, and the climate very cool, like a summer mountain- 
station. We arrived at the town of Baden-Baden after 
sunset. It is a town in a valley, having mountains all 
round, with meadows, woods, and green crops, exactly 
like the mountains of Kalardasht in Mazandaran. The 
weather was cloudy and mist}', very cold, and every now 
and then heavy rain fell; which is very similar to the 
climate of Ashraf and Saf I-abad in Mazandaran. Wealthy 
people from Firangistan have here built detached resi- 
dences of great magnificence and beaut} r ; for, during the 
summer season, the greater portion of the pleasure- 
seekers congregate here. It has a climate like that of 
Paradise ; a river, like that of Shahristanak, that issues 
from a valley and flows through the town. In verity, it 
is not a town with the contemplation of which one can 
tire. For lovers, pleasure-hunters, sybarites, it is a 
capital nook. Pretty women and graceful ladies conti- 
nually promenade about its avenues, lawns, and hills, on 
foot, on horseback, and in carriages. In truth, it is a 

1 



ii4 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap, m.. 

fairy abode. It has a fine church for those of the 
Eoman faith, and there are those who are Protestants. 
The whole town is lighted with gas. There are mineral 
hot-baths and others. To the very tops of the moun- 
tains there are winding, tortuous carriage-roads every- 
where, as well as avenues by which carriages travel in 
every direction. Prince Menschikoff, who was in attend- 
ance upon us in Russia, has here a beautiful seat, a wife, 
and all the appliances of life. He was here himself. He 
came, and we conversed. The wife of the Prince, too, 
was presented. In short, our quarters were in a very 
charming hotel. 

We alighted and went upstairs. Crowds of women 
and men, spectators, looked on. In the evening, after- 
dinner, we went downstairs for a stroll. A band was 
playing. Light rain fell from time to time. In the 
neighbourhood there were some handsome shops and a 
very pretty square, all grass and flowering shrubs. We 
entered the shops and bought some pretty things. Every- 
where women and men, spectators, collected in numbers.. 
Our purchases took up much time. We returned home ; 
fireworks were exhibited ; we went upstairs ; we sat 
awhile, and then retired to rest. 

16th {Thursday, 12th June), — In the morning we arose 
and dressed. Prince Gortchakof, the Russian Premier,, 
had also arrived here } r esterday for travel and pleasure. 
He came to an audience, at which the Grand- Vazir was 
also present. We sat and had a long conversation. He 
left, and I went to a bath. It was a beautiful bath ; with 
a stove, &c, had they made it warm. It had a small' 



chap, in.] Prtcssia, Germany, Belgitim. 115 

basin of marble. We went into the water ; came out ; 
dressed ; and went home. After a short interval had 
elapsed the (Grand-) Duke arrived. Mounting an open 
carriage together, we went for a drive. The General 
likewise was with us. The weather was cloudy and very- 
cold ; rain also fell occasionally. I had come out of the 
bath in a state of perspiration, and had not put on an 
overcoat. As we drove about I was very cold. We went 
about, up hill and down dale, passing through charming 
sites, until we arrived at the summit of an eminence 
where there was a church. Here we alighted and entered 
the church. It was an edifice erected by the former 
Prince of Eoumania, i.e., of Wallachia and Moldavia, in 
memory of a young son of his who had died. The Prince 
and his wife now live in this town. They have had a 
beautiful marble statue of their son executed, whose tomb 
is in one corner of the church, and a marble group is 
over his tomb. Opposite to that is another tomb which 
they have prepared for themselves, that they may be 
buried there after their deaths. Statues in marble of the 
prince and of his wife are placed upon this tomb, that of 
the prince pointing with its hand to the tomb of the son. 
The church is built in coloured marbles, and is a beau- 
tiful edifice. Its cupola appears to be gilt outside, like 
that of the tomb of the daughter of Michael, the brother 
of Nicholas, Emperor of Eussia, that we had seen at 
Wiesbaden. 

Coming out from thence, we again mounted the car- 
riage with the (Grand-) Duke and the General, went over 
ascents and descents, through many a delightful vista, 

12 



1 1 6 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. hi. 

but the rain came on heavily. We returned to town, 
passing in front of the residence of Prince Menschikoff, 
through a handsome avenue ; saw a beautiful fountain on 
the bank of the stream, around which they had arranged 
stones after the fashion of a single natural rock, and 
from the fountain the appearance of a cascade was pro- 
duced, which flowed down into a basin. The (Grand-) 
Duke pointed out to me the house which the English 
Sovereign, Napoleon of France, the Emperor of Kussia, 
and others, have occupied on the occasions of their visits 
to these parts. As we drove along in the rain, I and the 
(Grand-) Duke were seated alone in a close carriage, and 
so we reached home. 

After remaining a short space, we again mounted with 
the (Grand-) Duke, and drove to his own palatial castle, 
a very ancient structure, built on an eminence, the work 
of his ancestors, and possessing a most extensive look- 
out over the town and its environs, the forests, and the 
hills. We arrived at the gate of the castle. A crowd of 
women were there. We alighted and went upstairs. On 
the first floor a breakfast was laid out. There were 
beautiful rooms, grand and sumptuous, with chandeliers 
and other furniture, pictures and fine portraits; more 
especially those of the ancestors and of the parents of the 
(Grand-) Duke, hung up on the walls. After a while we 
went to the table, the Grand-Vazir, the princes, and 
others, being present. The air, tempered by the rain, was 
very cool and pleasant. 

After breakfast, we enjoj-ed for a while the prospect 
afforded from the windows of the palace over the country, 



chap, in.] Prussia, Germany \ Belgium. t 1 7 

the hills, and the town. The effect was splendid. The 
mountains and former frontier places of France, sites 
which, before the war, had been included in the French 
territory, were there in sight ; but now that the provinces 
of Alsace and Lorraine have been taken from France by 
the Prussians, the French frontier is removed to a dis- 
tance from hence. 

"When we had viewed this landscape for a little time, 
the (Grand-) Duke led us to the upper story of the 
palace, and showed us the pictures, painted of old and 
hung on the walls, of the various birds and beasts hunted 
in this country. In particular, there was one bird, called 
" coq de bois " (cock of the woods, mountain cock, caper- 
cailzie, capercaillie, auerhahn, tetrao urogallus), i.e., the 
jungle-cock, which is found in these woods. Its head and 
shape are like those of the pheasant ; but it is larger, and 
its tail is not long like that of the pheasant, but resembles 
that of the " umbrella-bird." It is a beautiful animal, 
and none of the kind are found in Persia. These woods 
give shelter to the red deer, the " shuka," the wild boar, 
and have in them large numbers of this kind of bird, 
and of others also. 

We now came down stairs, got into a carriage, and 
drove to the station, where we had to wait a little. Prince 
Gortchakoff, the Russian Minister, Prince Menschikoff, 
and a numerous company, were there. At length we 
took our seats in the train, the (Grand-) Duke and the 
Grand Vazir being in front of me ; and so we started. 

Between Baden-Baden and Carlsruhe there is a cele- 
brated town and fortress named Rastadt, one of the 



i.i8 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. m. 

strongest and most famous in all Europe. We saw it at 
a distance. In the (Grand-) Duke's castle there was a 
very large looking-glass, five ells (17 feet 6 inches) in 
height, by more than two ells (7 feet) in width. I was 
informed that it was manufactured at the plate-glass 
works of Mannheim, in the territory of this very state of 
Baden. 

When we reached Carlsruhe, the (Grand-) Duke's 
capital, we took leave of each other, and he left. We 
continued travelling by the line over which we had passed 
in coming, and arrived at Wiesbaden by nightfall. The 
distance between Baden-Baden and Wiesbaden is about 
thirty-five leagues, and this is got over by rail in five hours. 

The (Grand-) Duke has three sons by the daughter of 
the Emperor of Germany, his eldest son, seventeen 
years of age, being his designated successor to the 
Grand-Duchy. To judge by his looks, the (Grand-) 
Duke himself is about forty. 

17th (Friday, 13th June). — To-day we have to go to 
the town of Spa, the first place in the territory of the 
kingdom of Belgium. Rising early, and having dressed, 
we mounted a carriage with the Grand- Vazlr and the 
General in attendance upon us, and, by the road that 
leads to Biebrich, we travelled and arrived at the wharf. 
Troops were drawn out, whom we inspected, and then 
went on board a steamboat. The deck was furnished 
with chairs, and decorated with shrubs and flowers in 
vases. We took a seat. The weather was very cold. 
My suite and luggage were all put on board this vessel. 
Her cabins were on two decks, very long, and very hand- 



chap, m.] Prussia, Germany, Belgium. 119 

some. The upper cabin was a dining-room, where the 
princes and our other attendants took their breakfast. 
The lower one had been designated for our use ; but we 
were on deck most of the time, going below now and then 
only. When we embarked, the Aminu-'s- Sultan and 
Gulam-Husayn Khan had lagged behind, not having 
kept up with us, (and did not make their appearance) 
until we had cast off and got under wa} r . Then they 
arrived at the wharf and made all kinds of signals, took 
off and waved their caps, but no one paid attention. 
Ultimately a person was sent with instructions to bring 
them by rail to the city of Cologne ; and we went on. 

The river Khine is like a paradise. On both sides of 
it, everywhere, there were castles, pavilions, populousness, 
cultivation, railroads ; and trains incessantly ply back- 
wards and forwards. Numerous steam- ships, like the 
one in which we were sitting, navigated it upwards and 
downwards, carrying passengers and travellers, goods 
and merchandize. The depth of the river is as much as 
ten ells (35 feet). Each of its banks is hilly, with ridges 
and peaks ; but there are no high mountains. The 
whole of the hills are covered with woods and vineyards, 
and one is never satiated with gazing on them. At each 
moment some new feature, some new castle or palace of a 
different style of architecture, comes in sight, which have 
been built by men of wealth as summer-residences, where 
they take their pleasure and enjoy life. Truly, for the 
purposes of a promenade, no place could be better than 
these regions. Some of these structures are perched on 
the very tops of eminences, on rocks, or in forests ; and 



120 Diary of a Totcr in Etcrope. [chap. m. 

in front of them are orchards, flower-gardens, and the 
like, which surpass all powers of description. We saw T 
many towns, villages, and manufactories carrying on their 
respective operations. 

And thus we arrived at Coblentz, where our vessel 
passed under an enormous bridge of iron, of three arches, 
over which a railway crosses. On both sides the river is 
a very strong fortress ; but the greater proportion of the 
inhabitants of the place live on the left-hand side. From 
the fortress on our right hand, which stands on rocks and 
hills, and which is entirely constructed of stone, a salute 
was fired. It was in this city that the Ottoman Sultan, 
during his tour in Europe, met the Emperor of Germany, 
and was a guest for three nights. All round the city of 
Coblentz there are very strong forts. 

We left it behind, and reached Bonn, where our ship 
was taken alongside a wharf, and our suite and luggage 
were landed. They went to the station, and at length 
we followed. There were crowds of men and women. 
We reached the station. Our train had been changed. 
We took our seat in a car, started, and arrived at Cologne. 
Here we turned our faces in the direction of Belgium, 
and again were on our way, the whole countiy being 
verdant, with meadows, and populous. We went through 
a "hole in a mountain" of about five hundred ells (583 
yards) in length. Hereabouts the greater part of the 
region on both sides of our road was hilly, and the rail- 
way is in a narrow gully (a cutting). This is why to-day 
the greater part of our road was beneath mountains, and 
before reaching Spa we traversed fifteen " holes," six of 



chap, in.] Prussia, Germany, Belgium. 121 

which were long, varying from two to three and four 
hundred ells (233 to 350 and 470 yards), the rest being 
from fifty to seventy or eighty ells long (60 to 100 yards), 
not more. 

We passed by Duren, a Prussian town, and arrived at 
Aix-la-Chapelle, a city belonging to Germany. Here 
troops were drawn out. "We alighted, inspected them, 
and again returned to the train. After proceeding a 
short space of time we reached a station near to the 
Belgian frontier. The train stopped. General Boien, 
in waiting on us, came into our presence and took leave, 
returning with all those of his suite. The interpreter 
Grebel, and one Bussian officer, who had accompanied us 
until now, received their conge at this station also, and 
left us. 

We then went on, and shortly reached a small stream 
with a little bridge over it, which forms the frontier 
between Belgium and Germany. But what a difference 
has the All-Wise and Almighty Creator placed between 
the two nations and the two countries ! Man's mind is 
lost in amazement thereat. In one moment a total 
change came over the people, the language, the religion, 
the appearance of the land and water, mountains, and 
plains ; — all were different, nothing here resembling what 
is in Germany. The mountains are rather more lofty 
and more wooded, the air is colder, the tongue of all is 
French, the people more tranquil, the arrangement and 
uniform of the troops and citizens utterly different. The 
whole population of Belgium speak French, but have a 
special dialect of their own; they are chiefly of the 



122 Diary of a Tour in Eicrope. [chap. m. 

Romish faith. This nation has more liberty than is 
enjoyed in Germany. Their sovereign is King Leopold 
II., and their capital is named Brussels. From Wies- 
baden to Spa, by boat and by rail, we travelled in a little 
more than eight hours. 

Proceeding now over hills and dales, through forests 
and other scenes, we arrived at Spa. True, we were not 
yet officially arrived (in Belgium) ; but still, the Governor 
and notables of the town, with some regular cavalrj', and 
a large concourse of spectators and others, had come to 
meet us in the station and streets. We alighted from the 
train; the Governor made a speech, to which we pro- 
nounced a reply. They are nice people. The Governor's 
name was Henri Peltzer. We mounted a carriage and 
drove into the town, which is small, but pretty, and is 
situated in a valley and on the hills, its environs being 
hilly and full of trees. Everywhere we saw crowds, until 
we reached the Orange Hotel, which became our quarters, 
we ourselves having our apartments on the ground-floor, 
while our princes and officers were upstairs or down- 
stairs. 

After dining, we sallied forth with the Grand-Vazir, 
and others, going about the streets for a walk. Immense 
crowds of men and women now collected around us, hem- 
ming us in, and following us about wherever we went. 
They had illuminated the streets. The name of the 
street is " Seven-o'clock," and a fine street it is. We 
entered the shops and bought some articles, such as 
desks, dressing-cases, pictures, and the like. The}' had 
very nice wares. The fronts of the shops are of single 



chap, in.] Prussia, Germany, Belgium. 123 

sheets of crystal (plate-glass), so that all the goods are 
visible behind these. We continued our stroll to the end 
of the street, where there was a basin of water with a 
fountain. This was lighted up with the electric light, 
and by means of coloured glasses they caused the water 
to assume various hues. They had also constructed a 
sort of two-storied pavilion, and illuminated it. There a 
band stood and played, singing songs and catches also, 
very charmingly. 

We now retreated by degrees to our hotel. The 
Aminu-'s- Sultana and Gulam Husayn Khan rejoined us. 
They, too, had embarked in a steamer after our depar- 
ture, had arrived in Cologne, and thence came on by 
train. At Biebrich, where we left them, a person of 
Austrian nationality from the States of Hanover had 
turned up, who spoke Persian, and who rendered them 
his assistance. 

In Germany the women are very much occupied in 
business and at work; especially at agriculture and in 
gardening do they labour much more than their husbands. 
The ears of the carriage-horses, and others, are covered 
over with red and other coloured cloths, as a protection 
against the flies. In Berlin, and in other towns, the 
little boys fasten soldiers' knapsacks on to their own 
backs, run about the streets, and play on fifes. How 
excellent is it that they, from infancy upwards, thus learn 
to be soldiers. They pave their streets with stone most 
artistically. They cut the stones into small squares, and 
do the work with these, joining them together very 
closely. The bricks of Firailgistan are not like those of 



124 Diary of a Tour in Etirope. [char m. 

Persia, large and square, but are of the shape of the cut 
bricks of Tehran. 

Spa is a small town, with only one good street ; the 
rest are all of an inferior class. 

ISth {Saturday, 14th June). — We awoke in the morning 
at Spa. We took breakfast, and then mounted a carriage 
for a drive about. The Governor also was seated in a 
carriage, and preceded us, showing the way. From the 
street we drove up-hill to a bath which we were informed 
was the establishment where Peter the Great, when un- 
well, was treated with the mineral waters. We mounted 
the ascent a little further, and the town terminated. 
Carriage-roads and avenues now commenced. Ibrahim 
Khan, with another groom, had brought out our horses 
after us. We pushed on until we arrived at a place where 
there was an hotel, with two basins of mineral water ; i.e., 
these were springs flowing out of the earth, with steps to 
go down to them. At the bottom of the steps there stood 
a woman, who had some tumblers, in which she gave of 
the water to the people. Invalids who suffer from weak 
stomachs, or who are thin and meagre, and especially 
women, come here before breakfasting, drink of the 
water, sit down on chairs, call for food from the cook of 
the hotel, and eat. Strangers, and particularly the 
English, travel to this place. I drank a little of the 
water, which tasted very nast3 r . On the outside of the 
basin there was a large foot-print on the surface of 
a stone ; of which the Governor said : " This is the 
vestige of the footstep of St. Mark ; " which saint is 
one of the holy men of the Franks. " Whatever woman, 



chap, in.] Prussia, Germany, Belgium. 125 

when childless, comes here and places her foot in this 
vestige, conceives (and bears children)." This is a very 
surprising thing. In Persia such beliefs are rife. 

We drove off from thence and entered a different 
■avenue to reach another hotel with another mineral 
spring. Several Frank men and women followed after us 
in another carriage. I mounted my horse " Blaze," and 
took a canter in the woods and along the avenue ; and so 
we reached the hotel, and the other mineral spring, which 
was worse-tasted than the first. At a distance I espied 
two Frankish individuals, urged nry horse, and came up 
in front of them. I conversed with them a bit in French. 
He was an English nobleman, who had generally resided 
in India at Allahabad, and was recently returned to 
Europe. His wife was reading a story-book. I took the 
book and looked at it a little. I then rode off by a 
narrow path, by the side of which a rivulet ran, with 
about water enough to turn one mill- stone. They took 
the carriages round by another road. Rain came on. 
We then made off for another hotel, sat there, and again 
went on. 

Arrived at home, I became quite unwell, — all through 
that bath at Baden-Baden, from whence I had issued in 
a state of perspiration, had gone on a drive with the 
(Grand-) Duke, and had taken cold, which now showed 
itself. I shivered a whole hour ; a headache seized me ; 
Dickson came. Tholozan, likewise, who had gone to 
see M. Krupp, returned in the night. We went to bed ; 
slept through the night; and, thank God, my health 
returned. 



126 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. m. 

19th (Sunday, 15th June). — On rising in the morning, 
I was all right again. The weather is cloudy, and rain 
is falling. The sun is never seen in these parts. To- 
day is a festival of the Franks. A body of damsels and 
women, after passing along the street that faces our hotel, 
went into the church. They had stuck up lamps in all 
the streets; also, bringing out many shrubs grown in 
vases, and strewing the streets with fresh-cut grass, they 
escorted the chief priest with many honours to the church. 
About two hundred pretty maidens, all engagingly dressed 
in white, with white head-dresses, and carrying each a 
nosegay of flowers, — followed by another company of 
younger girls to the number of two to three hundred, each 
holding in her hand a stick with a nosegay attached to it, 
and by a third company of charming little children, girls 
and boys, nicely dressed, and each carrying a stick with a 
taper bound to it, or a gold-embroidered velvet banner, 
— carried the portrait of Her Holiness Miryam (the Virgin 
Mary), on whom be peace ; and sang with a sweet melody, 
repeating litanies. Behind these was an ornamented 
wooden frame, with the figures of Jesus and Mary on it, 
upon both of whom be peace, and with the space below it 
unoccupied. Meanwhile, the priest walked out on foot, 
and four individuals took up this frame and supported it 
over the priest like an umbrella. 

In the evening we went to the theatre on foot, which 
was very near to our hotel. Many women and men were 
congregated. The theatre is very small — less even than 
the one at HajjI-Tarkhan, but very pretty, with three tiers 
of seats, and with a handsome chandelier lighted with 



chap, in.] Prussia, Germany, Belgnim. 1 2 7 

gas. The curtain rose. A number of men and women 
conversed in French, representing love, love-making, and 
the like. Afterwards an astonishing conjuror came for- 
ward, — a young man of short stature, who had a very 
graceful wife. His name was Kaznow. In French 
jugglery is called " prestidigitation." He performed 
some astonishing tricks, so that one became dumb- 
foundered. 

For example. He took the people's watches out of 
their fobs, and without interfering in any way with their 
regulation — without even laying them down — he showed 
that all of them pointed, for instance, to three hours after 
sunset. He then opened them and showed them, when 
one watch pointed to four, another to eight, a third to 
two, and so on. 

He opened a large padlock. He then locked it, and 
gave it to the Mu'tamadu-'l-Mulk, who was sitting in a 
box near to him. The Mu'tamad again locked it himself, 
and essayed to force it open, but could not. He then 
passed the lock on to a stick, and gave the two ends of 
the stick to two persons to hold. He next asked of the 
Mu'tamad : " How many do you wish that I shall count, 
and that the lock shall come open as I name that 
number?" The Mu'tamad said: "Twelve." The 
juggler counted this number out, one by one ; and when, 
on his pronouncing the word " open," in the place of 
" twelve," the lock opened. 

He performed also some surprising feats of hocus- 
pocus. The Mu'tamad wrote down something on a piece 
of paper, which the conjuror burnt in the presence of all. 



128 Diary of a Totcr in Europe, [chap. m. 

He then went and fetched a packet that was carefully 
sealed with wax, which he gave into the hands of the 
Mu'tamad. He broke open the packet, and found therein 
a second packet similarly sealed up, and so on until 
twenty sealed packets had been broken open. Enclosed 
within the last was the paper with the writing upon it 
which the Mu'tamad had written. 

He placed four large coins one b}>- one in a small box, 
and consigned this into the hands of one of the company. 
He then placed a table at some distance, on which stood 
a china vase. He now ordered the coins to come into 
the vase ; and one b} r one, as they passed from the box 
and fell into the vase, we heard them chink. When the 
box was empty, he went and fetched the vase from its 
place, and the whole of the coins were found in it. 
Before placing the vase on the table, he had shown to the 
company that it had nothing in it. He performed also 
many other tricks, which I cannot here narrate. 

He now brought forward his wife and seated her on a 
chair. She was a very pretty woman, and elegantly 
attired. He put her to sleep by sundry rubbings with 
his hands. When she was asleep, his wife gave informa- 
tion of absent things ; as for instance, the Mu'tamad wrote 
down : " This is a fine evening." The conjuror asked his 
wife what had been written, and she, in the most charming 
manner, repeated the very words. 

20£/t (Monday, 16th June). — To-day, God willing, we 
are to proceed in health and safety to Brussels, the capital 
of Belgium. 

I saw Khanikof, the Bussian, at Spa, where he had an 



chap, in.] Prussia, Germany, Belgium. 129 

audience. Twelve years ago I had seen him in our camp 
at Sultaniyya (a town or village about half way between 
Tabriz and Tehran). He is now younger-looking and 
stouter. He is a member of the Academy of Sciences of 
Kussia, but is staying at Paris. 

To-day, thanks be to God, I feel quite well. We 
mounted a carriage with the Grand-Vazir, and drove to 
the station. They had brought there for us the railway- 
carriages of the King, which were extremely handsome. 
We took our seat amid a great concourse of people. We 
also perceived the wife of last night's juggler. The 
Grand-Vazir and Dr. Tholozan occupied seats in our 
carriage. We started. The Belgian train is very com- 
fortable and pleasant, not jolting much, and travelling 
very swiftly. In a short time we reached Liege, where 
there are extensive manufactories of fire-arms and railway 
rolling-stock. The whole road, so far, was hill and dale 
and forest. We passed through three or four "hols?," 
one of them being about three hundred ells long (350 
yards) ; but from Liege onwards the country is flat. 

At Liege we stopped ; a most extraordinary crowd had 
assembled. The Governor and notables of the town had 
come. We alighted from the train. Troops were drawn 
up clothed in broadcloth, with a band playing. The 
throng was to such an extent that there was no passing. 
After we had walked down (the line of troops), they 
forced the crowd back, we remounted our carriage, and 
again got in motion. 

The town of Liege is very large and handsome. The 
whole place is up-hill and down-dale, upon hills and in 



130 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. m. 

valleys. It has very handsome parks and flower-gardens. 
The whole of the carriage-roads in Belgium are paved 
with stones. The whole country is green and smiling, 
under cultivation, and populous. In these roads, as far 
as Liege, there was a profusion of a kind of }^ellow flower, 
extremely beautiful, and resembling the flower of the 
bean (the laburnum being probably meant). 

At length, after four hours, or perhaps three hours, 
after leaving Liege we arrived at Brussels, the capital of 
Belgium. At the station His Most Exalted Majesty 
King Leopold II., together with his brother, the Count 
of Flanders, the whole of the military officers, the civil 
functionaries, and others were present. The mutual 
gratulations of etiquette were gone through. The King 
^.presented those of his suite ; we also presented those of 
ours. Taking our seats in an open carriage, we drove 
off, I and the King conversing together. On both sides 
of our road a large concourse of people stood, and 
incessantly did I and the King salute them. In return 
they shouted hurrahs, and ran along with us. We came 
to a royal palace situated in the centre of the city. We 
went upstairs, where, on the first floor, the King, having 
shown us our apartments, retired to his own residence in 
the back apartments of this same palace. I sent the 
Order of my own Portrait to His Majesty, and shortly 
followed myself to return his visit. The King's wife came 
forward to meet me, and we sat down ; after a space I 
returned to nry apartments. 

The King is a man thirty-eight years of age, tall, 
somewhat thin, and with a long yellow beard. During 



chap, in.] Prussia, Germany \ Belgmm. 131 

the period when he was Heir-Apparent he travelled to 
India, to Constantinople, to Egypt, and to the Syrias. 
He is the grandson of Louis Philippe, the former King of 
the French, whose daughter was the King's mother ; and 
he is cousin to the actual Sovereign of England, son of 
her maternal uncle. He has three daughters, but has no 
son ; and his brother, the Count of Flanders, is his Heir- 
Presumptive, who is somewhat younger in years than the 
King. The wife of the King's brother is a lady-princess 
of Prussia, while the King's wife is an Austrian lady- 
princess, being a Hungarian by birth. 

The Kingdom of Belgium is very free, the ordering of 
all matters being in the hands of the Parliament, where 
the Deputies meet together and give judgment. The 
Parliament House is a sumptuous edifice, and is in the 
city. It was in active session (when we arrived), the 
members being assembled. The editors of the public 
papers in this country are extremely free. Whatever 
they may write, they are in fear of no one. The popula- 
tion of Brussels is of about a hundred and seventy-two 
thousand souls ; that of all Belgium, ten crores and a 
fraction (five millions odd). Its income is about thirty- 
seven crores ; its army in time of war, one hundred thou- 
sand. Formerly, the whole of this country was subject 
to Holland, but forty-two years ago, the kingdoms of 
England and France, with others, combined and separated 
it from that State, giving it to Leopold I., the maternal 
uncle of the Sovereign of England, and making him King. 
Laransun Sahib (General Sir Henry C. Kawlinson, 
K.C.B.), Kambal Sahib (Colonel Sir Arnold B. KembaU, 

K 2 



132 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. m. 

K.C.S.I.), Tamsun Sahib (Ronald F. Thomson, Esq., 
Secretary of Legation, Tehran), and a few other English- 
men, who had come to be in attendance upon us, were 
here received in audience and were conversed with. 
Twelve years ago Laransun was Minister (Plenipoten- 
tiary) at Tehran ; now he is somewhat aged. 

After breakfast we indulged in a little quiet. They 
have made a small garden in this palace, with plants 
grown in vases, and have covered it in overhead with 
glass. It had chandeliers with gas, a basin and fountain, 
small but very pretty, from which the water flowed like a 
bubble. The flowers were of various sorts and kinds. I 
walked about there. 

Before the palace is a square, around which are very 
beautiful gardens for the public to walk in ; but I did 
not go there. There is also a private garden belonging 
to the palace. The city of Brussels is extremely hand- 
some ; its streets are straight and wide, but the town is 
up-hill and down-dale, the streets and houses being now 
low down, now high up; and there are hills and valleys 
in it. It possesses a very ancient and grand church, 
which does not fall short of that at Cologne. 

In the evening we took a seat in a carriage with the 
King and the King's wife, and went to the state theatre. 
It was a long way off, and the people had formed a pro- 
digious throng. We arrived at the theatre, and went up- 
stairs, being there seated in a special box with the 
Grand-YazJr and the wife of the King's brother. Our 
princes and attendants, in state costumes, were in other 
boxes, with the whole of the Diplomatic Corps. There 



chap, in.] Pntssia, Germany, Belgium. 133 

were about three thousand men and women present. 
The theatre is large and has six tiers of seats, the whole 
being lighted with gas. It is not inferior to the large 
theatre at (St.) Peter (sburg). The play was an opera ; 
i.e., they sang pieces, and an orchestra played beautifully. 
They sang very melodiously. After much singing and 
dancing, they gave a ballet. Women danced. It lasted 
very long. At length, the curtain having fallen, I arose. 
The King and his wife again rode with me in the carriage, 
and we went home. We said adieu, and they went away. 
I went to bed. The greater part of our attendants are 
quartered in an hotel. This palace, in which I have nry 
apartments, is a very handsome palace, ornamented with 
beautiful pictures and portraits ; though it is small, but 
well designed. It has many handsome and large chan- 
deliers, its furniture is rich, and it is well supplied with 
tables, chairs, and the like, all good. The street lamps 
are lighted with gas and are numerous. 

21st (Tuesday, 11th June). — Remained in this city. 
In the morning after breakfast the Diplomatic Corps were 
received in audience. There is a Representative here 
from every State. The Belgian Ministry came also, and 
were followed, after their departure, by the King, with 
whom we mounted a carriage and went out for a drive. 
We passed along the streets and came to an open space 
where a statue of the father of this present Sovereign has 
been placed on a high column. Here we had a beautiful 
view over the city and its environs. We here came in 
sight of the princes of our suite, who were taking a walk 
on foot. I told them to accompany us. We now drove 



134 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. m. 

to the large church, alighted, and entered the fane, which 
is a magnificent building, erected five hundred years ago. 
A priest came and led us to the different parts of the 
edifice, which we thus inspected. The tomb of George, a 
former King of England, and also the tomb of an ancient 
sovereign of Belgium, are in this church. Builders and 
labourers were bus} 7 at repairs. It is a grand and lofty 
structure. It has some curious pulpits and altars of 
carved wood, very beautiful. 

After a good survey, we left this place and then saw a 
tower, in appearance like a palace, anciently erected within 
the city, and so preserved ever since, — now used as a 
museum. There are in it the arms and implements of 
(all) nations, — even many of the daggers, straight and 
curved, and of the knives of Persia, — all arranged with 
great taste. Skins of celebrated horses of antiquity, 
ridden by such a hero, or by such a king, are made up 
into the very likenesses of the horses themselves, and 
stand there. Helmets, armour, horse-armour, weapons, 
complete and from head to foot, as worn of old by the 
champions of the Franks and others, are there (exhibited). 

Leaving this at the conclusion of a general survey, we 
descended and drove out to the Chateau of Laken, the 
summer residence of the King and Queen. We passed 
along one long and very beautiful avenue, with a canal on 
our left hand, excavated by human labour, and by which 
ships ply to and from the port of Antwerp, which is one 
of the important fortresses of Firangistan, and belonging 
to the kingdom of Belgium. There is no river here that 
flows through the middle of the city ; so they have 



chap, in.] Prussia, Germany, Belgium. 135 

brought from a distance with great labour potable water 
into the city, and distributed it to the houses. 

Travelling thus a certain distance, we reached, at the 
outskirts of the capital, the park-gate of the Chateau of 
Laken. Its parks and its avenues are very fine. It is a 
private park, special to the King's use, into which no one 
has a right of passage. Its woods and large trees are 
magnificent. Here and there water has stagnated and 
formed, as it were, lakes. Its grass and flowers are 
pleasant. We went slowly along in the carriage until we 
reached the Chateau. The Queen was there and came 
to meet us. We conferred upon the Queen the Order of 
the " Sun," with its ribbon; and she herself put it on. 
We sat down in a domed hall, which had a capital view 
of the city and park. On each side of the hall there were 
apartments. A band was playing. The princes and 
others arrived. We went into the apartments. Tapes- 
tries were hung on the walls, woven of old in this very 
city of Brussels, and figured with portraits beautifully 
executed. The manufactory for the weaving of these is no 
longer at work. The park and lawns of the Chateau of 
Laken are very charming. 

We now returned to the city and visited the Zoological 
Gardens ; but, as I had not the time, I could not examine 
them properly. I saw some singular dogs in a cage, large 
and small, and of different colours. It had a small 
aquarium, into which we took a peep, and then went home. 

Before driving out to Laken we" paid a visit to the 
Hdtel-de-Ville ; i.e., the residence of the Governor and 
functionaries of the city. It is a very imposing and 



136 Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap. m. 

ancient edifice. Above it there is an exceedingly lofty 
tower ; and it has a hall, the ceiling of which is painted 
in a very striking manner. There is the figure of Israf Jl 
blowing the last trump, executed with so much talent 
that wherever one places one's self to examine it, the eyes 
of the figure appear directed on the observer. The works 
of the artist who painted this picture are marvellous, and 
are well known to all the world. The walls of the edifice 
are hung with figured tapestries. In front of it is a large 
square, where immense crowds had collected, and to which 
the fire-brigade came, performing their various exercises 
in a very satisfactory manner. The firemen here were not 
mounted, but go on foot. They have pulled down the 
greater portion of the streets and houses of the city, and 
are building them anew. They have erected the Law 
Courts in a very imposing pile. 

In the middle of the afternoon we returned home, where 
we are invited to dine with the King. "We all went in 
our state uniforms, the Diplomatic Corps, and others, 
being present also. We ate a good dinner, and then 
retired to our apartments, as we had to rise betimes in the 
morning and proceed to the port of Ostend on our way to 
England. We therefore went to bed early. 

22?id (Wednesday, 18th June). — In the morning we 
arose earlier than usual, thoroughly worn out with a 
sleepless night, and hastily dressed. It was very cold. 
The inhabitants of the city were not yet astir. A battalion 
of infantry, with their band, arrived and were drawn up 
in front of the palace. There were also some cavalry. 
The King came. We took our seats in a carriage, drove 



chap, in.] Prussia, Germany, Belgium. 137 

through streets and avenues, and arrived at the railway 
station. The same train was there in readiness for us 
which we had used two days previously. A battalion of 
infantry, with band, was drawn up; others also were 
there. We said adieu to the King, took our seat, and 
left Brussels. 

We traversed the Flemish provinces, where all was flat 
plain, populous, green, grassy, full of gardens and flowers. 
In these parts the people speak Flemish ; i.e., Dutch. 
We at length arrived at the sea-port town of Ostend — an 
important commercial town, where we found many ships. 
It is a flourishing place. We performed the distance 
from Brussels in less than three hours, as the train to- 
day travelled at great speed. 

The Belgian officials took their leave, and the Governor, 
with the functionaries of Ostend had an audience. 
They delivered an excessive speech. We then alighted 
and passed from the wharf on board of the ship of Her 
Most Exalted Majesty the Sovereign of England, which 
was named the "Vigilant." Laransun Sahib and the 
Englishmen who accompanied us led the way and per- 
formed the presentations. 

The distinguished Admiral of the English ships is 
named M'Clintock. He has several times gone on 
voyages to the islands of the North Pole, and enjoys a 
great reputation. He had come to meet us, and was in 
the ship. There were also a great number of naval 
officers besides. 

We went to the cabin specially designated for our use, 
and there seated ourselves. The ship is very handsome 



138 Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap. hi. 

and of great speed. The Grand-Vazir, with our personal 
attendants, and a few others, were in our ship ; the 
princes, and the remainder, were in two other vessels 
similar to her. We waited a considerable time for the 
baggage to be brought, and our travelling companions 
dispersed themselves. On account of my drowsiness, I 
myself went below and took a little repose ; after which I 
went up again. On the table I found some fine fruit, — 
excellent peaches, white and black grapes of exquisite 
aroma, some banana fruits, — which are a very nice thing. 
There was also a little melon, — very sweet. These fruits 
are all raised in hothouses, and the price of them is very 
high. For instance, they sell a single bunch of grapes 
for two thousand (Persian mites, — about twenty pence 
English) ; from whence the rest may be inferred. 

From the port of Ostend to Dover, — the first place on 
the coast of England, — takes five hours to cross ; and the 
sea of the British Channel is much noted for its storms 
and roughness. But, thanks be to God Most High, — the 
sea was very calm, like the palm of one's hand, so that 
no one was incommoded. It was like a trip on a river. 
Behind us followed another ship, while two large ironclad 
ships of war accompanied us, to show us honour, the one 
to our right, the other to our left. Occasionally the} r fired 
guns. When we had advanced a certain distance, there 
appeared another* ship, with two turrets, and each turret 
with two guns ; which turrets they can turn round in any 
direction they choose. This ship also is covered with 
iron, and, as they said, has a steam power of five thousand 
horses. The ship's sides w r ere not high out of the water. 



chap, in.] Pntssia, Germany, Belgium. 139 

They informed me that the projectiles from her guns 
would smash to pieces the other ships. They fired two 
or three rounds from her guns, which made much noise. 

Many merchant ships came and went, as well as 
others. At length, as we neared the English coasts, the 
hills on the seashore became visible, and a large number 
of men-of-war hove in sight, coming to meet us. They 
all fired guns. The surface of the sea was covered with 
ships, and boats, and large steamers, in which the mag- 
nates and nobles of the English had seated themselves, 
and were come forth to witness the spectacle. The hills 
at the seaside are not very high, their stones being 
white, like quarries of lime. 

Our ship now reached the port of Dover, where they 
have constructed a long stone pier, so that the ships in 
the harbour may be safe from storms and the waves. It 
projects a great distance into the sea. Upon it were 
women and men, dames and nobles, infantry and 
cavalry, in great numbers. Here we stopped. The 
sons of Her Most Exalted Majesty the Queen of the 
English Dominions, with the Secretary for Foreign 
Affairs, Lord Granville, and the notables and authori- 
ties of London, had all arrived ; — the second son of the 
Sovereign, the Duke of Edinburgh, — and the third son, 
Prince Arthur. We stood up in the ship ; the Sove- 
reign's sons, the Foreign Secretary, and the Chief Usher 
of the Sovereign, — a man of consideration and official 
in waiting, came. We went into the ship and sat down 
in the cabin, where we conversed until the baggage was 
carried out of the ship. The Queen's second son is a 



140 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. hi. 

youth with a very pleasing countenance, and stout. He 
has crow's eyes (bluish grey) and a small beard ; in 
stature he is not tall ; his age must be twenty-seven or 
eight. The third son is shorter than he, and his com- 
plexion is darker, his body slighter. The Chief Usher 
(Lord Chamberlain) is named Lord Sydney. He is a 
robust old man. 

At length we rose and went up on the jetty, where 
there was a wonderful assembly. We took our seat in a 
railway carriage, — I, the Sovereign's sons, the Grand- 
Vazir, the Foreign Secretary, and the Principal Official 
in Waiting, being together in one compartment. They 
were exceeding beautiful carriages ; none such had 
hitherto been seen. We gently went forward a few 
feet; and, at a building where they had prepared food, 
we alighted. I went into a small room. The Hakimu- 
'1-Mamalik, who had been here some time, was admitted. 
They then told me the Governor of the town of Dover 
had prepared a speech which he must recite. I went into 
a hall and stood at the top of a high flight of steps, the 
whole of the English princes and notables, our princes 
and others, with our servants, being present, and the 
Governor (Mayor) recited his speech at great length, in 
which there was much praise and laudation of us. We 
replied, and Laransun explained in English. The people 
clapped (their) hands. Returning from thence, we went 
to breakfast, accompanied by all the princes. They 
served hot cooked food, fruit, and other things, of which 
we partook. Then arising, we returned to our train, 
and took our seat in a carriage with the self-same per- 



chap, in.] Prussia, Germany, Belgium. 141 

sonages. We started. Everywhere we passed over tlie 
bosoms of mountains and across valleys, traversing 
numerous tunnels, of which two were about a quarter of 
a league in length, very dark and suffocating. 

The country in England has no resemblance to that in 
other territories. It has much forest, large trees, popu- 
lation without interval, and cultivation enormous. The 
wealth of the English is famous throughout the world ; 
there is no need to describe it (here). 

We passed by the town and outlying districts of 
Chiselhurst, the abode of Napoleon III., and where he 
died. His tomb is also there. The train travelled at 
so furious a rate that it was impossible for one to dis- 
tinguish any place. From the rapidity of our motion 
fire came out of the wheels, and one carriage caught fire. 
It wanted but little for all to be burnt. They stopped 
the train, got down, and extinguished the fire. All was 
right, and again we went on until we reached the begin- 
ning of the city of London. Again it is impossible to 
describe the prosperity, the populousness, the extent of 
the city, the numbers of lines of railway over which in- 
cessantly the trains come and go in every direction, the 
smoke of the manufactories, and the like. We travelled 
over the exteriors of the roofs of the houses ; and thus 
we reached the station and stopped. 

There was an assemblage of spectators, and a crowd, 
beyond all limits ; there were the armour-wearing 
English household cavalry ; there was the Nawwab the 
Heir-Apparent of England, known as the Prince of 
Wales ; and the whole of the Ministry, of the notables, 



142 Diary of a Tour in E^irope. [ckajp.ui. 

and of the nobles, were present. We alighted. I, the 
Heir-Apparent, the Grand-Vazlr, and Lord Morley, — 
the Lord-in- Waiting upon us, took our seats in an open 
carriage, and drove off. Both sides of the road, the 
roofs, the upper stories of the houses, were full of women, 
men, and children, who exhibited much joy and pleasure 
by shouting hurrahs, by waving handkerchiefs, by clap- 
ping hands. It was a surprising turmoil. I saluted in- 
cessantly with head and hands. The crowd of spectators 
was never-ending. The population of the city is said to 
be over eight crores (four millions) of souls. It has 
most lovely women. The nobleness, the greatness, the 
gravity and sedateness of the women and men shine out 
from their countenances. One sees and comprehends 
that they are a great people, and that the Lord of the 
Universe has bestowed upon them power and might, 
sense and wisdom, and enlightenment. Thus it is that 
they have conquered a country like India, and hold 
important possessions in America and elsewhere in the 
world. Their soldiers are very strong of frame and 
beautifully attired; their armour-wearing household 
cavalry are very strong and handsome young men, 
exquisitely dressed, like the cavalry in Eussia. Their 
horses are very fine and strong, but their number is few. 
They are but four regiments, each of four hundred 
men. 

In this way did we reach the half of our ride, when a 
heavy rain set in and wet the people through and 
through. I was myself also a good deal moistened ; but 
I requested it, and the carriage was closed (in part), the 



chap, in.] Prussia, Germany, Belgmm. 143 

Grand- Vazlr and Lord Morley remaining exposed to the 
rain, so that they were wet through. We arrived at our 
destination — Buckingham Palace, where quarters were 
allotted to us, and there we alighted. 

This palace is the town residence of the Sovereign. 
It is a very imposing and extensive structure. The 
Heir-Apparent and the other princes accompanied us, 
and led us into the palace. The whole of our suite are 
also accommodated in this building. There is an exten- 
sive and beautiful garden in front (i.e., at the back) of 
this palace, with magnificent lawns and beautifully kept. 
They have a kind of reaping-machine like a cart and 
drawn by a horse. This cuts down the grass in strips a 
cubit (21 inches) wide, and collects it into the cart. There 
is a very pretty natural lake, with ships and boats to row 
about in. They have also erected several very elegant 
tents. In every corner of the garden there are some 
very large forest trees, and also most beautiful flowering 
shrubs. There were a large number of peacocks, and a 
crane was walking about on the lawn. 

I was very tired and worn out; so I went early to 
bed. The Sovereign is at Windsor Castle, a distance of 
six leagues from town, but got over by rail in half an 
hour. 

Upon the stairs, and within the palace, there are 
posted some elderly English soldiers in costumes four 
hundred years old, dating from the time of Elizabeth, 
Queen of England. An extremely singular costume. 



CHAPTEK IV. 

ENGLAND ; 18 DAYS. 

^% ^ ED {Thursday, 19th June). — In the morning 
<^*4 ^ I arose, and in the course of the day paid a 
*^ visit to the Nawwab the Heir-Apparent. 
The road was not far to go. He has a nice house, with 
seven or eight sweet children. The wife of the Heir- 
Apparent is a daughter of the Sovereign of Denmark, 
and sister to the wife of the Heir-Apparent of Russia, 
who, with his wife, was present, having arrived a few 
days before on a visit, for which they will stay a month. 
We sat and conversed a while. Every place in the 
house, as far as the walls of the rooms, &c, go, were 
covered with figures of deer, &c, with tiger-skins, and 
the like. 

On leaving, we went to visit Prince Alfred, whose title 
is the "Duke of Edinburgh." His house, too, is very 
fine. Heads of stags, of deer, and the head of an 
elephant he had shot at the Cape of Good Hope, 
together with many beautiful birds, striped or speckled, 
dried and stuffed, were collected in glass cases, and the 
like. There were also implements of the chase. Prince 
Arthur was not at home, having gone to an exercise of 
the troops. 



chap, iv.] England. 145 

Tlience we proceeded to the residence of the Duke of 
Cambridge, cousin-german to the Sovereign 1 through 
her paternal uncle. He has a nice house, and is Com- 
mander-in-Chief of all the English army, besides being 
the Colonel of the (Eoyal Eegiment of) Artillery and 
Ordnance. He is an old man, but hale and stout, rosy- 
cheeked and fair, with a pleasing countenance. He is a 
man of importance. We had a little chat, and I next 
went to his sister's, wife of the Duke of Teck, a prince 
and nobleman of Germany, a very handsome young man 
with scanty mustachios and a good figure. He has a 
good house and garden, given by the State. 

As it was now the time appointed for the recep- 
tion of the Diplomatic Corps and of the English 
Ministry, we soon rose and returned home, put on my 
(state) dress, and went up into a saloon of the upper 
story of the palace, where all our princes and officials 
were assembled. The Sovereign's Chief Usher had 
come with the whole of the Diplomatic Body, and they 
were waiting on foot. I addressed a few words to each, 
enquiring after their healths. The Eussian Ambassador, 
Baron Brunnow, is an old man, and has been now thirty 
years in London as a Eepresentative. Musurus Pasha, 
— the Ottoman Ambassador, is a Greek, and an elderly 
man. M. Beust, Austrian Ambassador, is an old, but 
intelligent great man, who was formerly the Austrian 
Premier, and is a German. The French Eepresentative, 
Count d'Harcourt, is a nobleman of France. The others 
were also present, even the Japanese Minister. The 
Nawwab Eaja Dhuleep- Singh, son of the celebrated 



146 Diary of a Tour in Etirope. [chap. iv. 

Ranjit- Singh, came likewise. It is twenty years that he 
has lived in London, as the Government gives him a large 
allowance. He is a young man, with pleasing eyes and 
eyebrows. He speaks English. He had decorated him- 
self with some beautiful jewels and pearls. He is an 
Indian prince. 

When these were all gone, the present English 
Ministry, of the Whig party, Lord Granville — Foreign 
Secretary, Lord Gladstone — the Premier, the Duke of 
Argyll— Indian Secretary, together with the other 
Ministers and people of importance, were received in 
audience. We had a lengthened conversation with Lord 
Gladstone and the English Foreign Secretary. They 
also went away, and we were left to ourselves. 

We made a tour of the upper apartments of the 
palace, which is a wonderful building. It has some very 
fine pictures and portraits. 

For the evening we were invited to dinner with the 
Heir- Apparent at his house, and to an evening dancing- 
party at the Duke of Sutherland's, an English nobleman 
who has an income of a crore (500,000 tumans; about 
200,000L). We went to the Heir-Apparent's, and par- 
took of dinner. Our princes, the Grand-Vazir and 
others, the English Ministers, the Eussian Heir- 
Apparent, and the wives of the two Heirs-Apparent, 
were present. After dinner we proceeded to the Duke 
of Sutherland's, who has for wife an intelligent, noble 
lady. His house is beautiful. There was a numerous 
company. We took our seat in a long hall. The 
English Princes, with their wives, the Indian Prince, 



chap, iv.] England. 147 

and the Nawwab Nazim, of Bengal, with his son, were 
present. It is two years since he came to London about 
some business, and has remained here. He is a grandson 
of the renowned Tipu Sahib (sic, read Tipu-Sa'ib). 
When the dancing was over, we returned home and went 
to bed. 

24th (Friday, 20th June). — We have to go to Windsor 
Castle, the residence of Her Most Exalted Majesty 
Victoria, Sovereign of England, which is one hour's 
journey by rail. So we dressed, and then taking our seat 
in the carriage with the Grand- Vazlr and Lord Morley, 
started. Crowds beyond limit were standing at the 
ends and on both sides of our road. There were that 
number of carriages that no one could count them. 
Passing along the drive in Hyde Park, and through the 
town, we reached the station, and took our seat in the 
train. The carriages were most sumptuous, each side 
being a single sheet of plate glass. We traversed inha- 
bited places, the open country, and green meadows ; and 
at length Windsor Castle rose to view at a distance, 
appearing like a fortress with four turrets. Arriving 
near thereto, we alighted and got into a carriage. All 
our suite were of the party. At the foot of the steps of 
the Castle we alighted. Her Most Exalted Majesty 
the Sovereign advanced to meet us at the foot of the 
staircase. We got down, took her hand, gave our arm, 
went up stairs, passed through pretty rooms and corri- 
dors hung with beautiful portraits, and entering a 
private apartment, took our seat. The Sovereign pre- 
sented her children, relations, and officers. We, too, on 

l 2 



148 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. iv. 

our part, presented our princes, the Grand-Vazir, and 
the others. The Lord Chamberlain, who is the Minister 
of the Court of the Sovereign, brought for us the 
Insignia of the Order of the Garter set in diamonds; i.e., 
the Knee-tie, which is one of the most esteemed English 
Orders. The Sovereign rose, and with her own hand 
decorated us with the Order, and cast the ribbon upon 
us, presenting us at the same time with a long stocking- 
tie. The history of this Order is as follows : — 

" Two opinions are current among historians as to the 
(origin of the) Order that is called the ' Order of the 
Garter,' and which was instituted by Edward III., King 
of England, in a.d. 1349, at Windsor Castle. 

" One opinion is that he instituted this Order in com- 
memoration of the victory at Cressy, where the power of 
Philippe IV. of France was broken. 

" The other is that on an occasion at a ball the 
stocking-tie — the garter, of the Countess of Salisbury, 
Edward's sweetheart, fell off, and became a source of 
merriment among those present. The Sovereign, out of 
the perfect zeal and attachment that he had for her, 
lifted up the stocking-tie, and pronounced the motto : 
' Honi soit qui mal y pense,' which is to this day 
embroidered on the strap of the Order, and said : ' This 
stocking-tie will I raise to such a degree of estimation, 
that all, to obtain it, shall risk refusal.' " 

Thus it was that he made it the first Order of his 
kingdom; and, besides the Sovereign of England, who 
is the Head and Governor of the Order, the English 
Princes, and foreign Sovereigns, this order is given to 



chap, iv.] England. 149 

no one ; also, the number of its wearers, home and 
foreign, can never be more than twenty- six. 

I received the Order with the utmost respect, and sat 
down. I too presented to the English Sovereign the 
" Order of the Sun," set in diamonds, with its ribbon, 
and also the Order of my own Portrait, which she 
received with all honour and put them on herself. 

We then rose and went to table. Three daughters of the 
Sovereign and one young son, who does not yet go any- 
where away from her, and whose name is Leopold, were 
already seated. This son to-day had come to the station 
to meet me. He is very young-looking and very grace- 
ful. He wore the Scotch costume. The peculiarity of 
the Scotch costume is this : the knees are left visible up 
to the thighs. One of the Sovereign's daughters, six- 
teen years of age, is always at home with her, and has 
not a husband as yet. Her other two daughters have 
husbands. The princes, the Grand- Vazir, Lord Gran- 
ville, and others, were present. A beautiful breakfast 
was eaten. There were some fine fruits at the breakfast. 

The Sovereign again took my hand and led me to a 
private apartment, she herself going away. I sat there 
a while. The armour- wearing household cavalry, together 
with a battalion of infantry, were drawn up in a small 
court in front of the Castle. They are very handsome 
cavalry and very choice infantry. The English troops 
are, it is true, few in number, but they are extremely 
well dressed, disciplined, and armed, being very stout 
young men. A band played beautifully. 

There is a wide avenue in front of the Castle, a league 



i5o 



Diary of a Toitr in Europe, [chap. iv. 



in length, and on either side of it two rows of ancient 
and strong forest trees, very lofty. The ground is all 
grass, with flowers and verdure. We descended, 
mounted our carriage with the Grand-Vazir and the 
Lord-in -Waiting, and drove along this avenue, our suite 
following us in other carriages. Along the road there 
were numerous women and men ; also beautiful women, 
children, and grown persons of the inhabitants of 
Windsor itself, were promenading in the avenues, on 
foot, on horseback, and in carriages. It was a pretty 
sight. 

When we had proceeded a certain distance the con- 
course of people dwindled away. They have turned 
loose on the lawns and in the avenues about a thou- 
sand head of antelopes (fallow-deer), which were now seen 
in numbers, like a flock of sheep, feeding in separate 
batches, and not very timid of man. But no one is 
allowed to molest them. In reality, they are not ante- 
lopes, but of a kind between the red-deer, the antelope, 
and the roebuck (?), very graceful. 

The avenues, the lawns, the trees were interminable. 
We drove two leagues, and passed along another avenue 
resembling paradise, both sides of the avenue being a 
mass of tall trees (or shrubs), all in bloom with large 
light-blue, red, and other coloured flowers, of the 
oleander family (probably rhododendrons). So charming 
was this, that nothing superior can be imagined. 

We came to a lake of water of some extent, around 
which were multitudes of women and maidens. We 
crossed the lake to a small palace, very pretty, the 



chap, iv.] England. 151 

property of the Sovereign. There we alighted and 
partook of some fruit. All our princes and suite came 
there also, and then went off to the station. "We got 
into a boat and went about. On the other side of the 
water there was a crowd of women and men. After 
remaining on the water a little while, we went to a small 
model of a man-of-war, that has been constructed and 
armed with twenty-four guns about the size of swivels. 
We went on board, saw all over her, returned to our 
boat, and in her to the palace, where we again got into 
our carriage and drove to Windsor by a different road 
that was still all avenues, lawns, and numerous antelopes. 
There we rejoined our train and left for town. Similar 
crowds to those of the morning were waiting about, and 
mutual greetings continually took place until we reached 
home. 

Windsor Castle is very ancient, and externally has 
not much ornament. It looks like an old building 
reared of stone, and each stone is about the size of a 
brick (or Roman tile). It has one large tower, with 
several smaller, lofty turrets. But the interior of the 
Castle is highly ornamented, is pretty, and full of 
objects, with very handsome rooms, halls, and corridors, 
and a museum of arms and armour. The age of the 
Sovereign is fifty, but she looks no more than forty. 
She is very cheerful and pleasant of countenance. 

We are invited this evening to the house of the Lord 
Mayor, — the Governor of the old city of London, for an 
evening party and supper. At night, therefore, we 
mounted our carriage and drove off. From our palace 



152 Diary of a Tour in Ettrope. [chap. it. 

to the Lord Mayor's house was quite a league. The 
whole of both sides of the roads and streets was crowded 
with so many women and men as passes all calculation. 
All shouted hurrahs, and we continually saluted them 
all. Every street is lighted with gas ; and, besides this, 
electric lights from the roofs and windows of the houses 
made the streets as clear as the day. They had also 
arranged various designs with gaslights upon some of 
the houses, in the streets, and elsewhere. They had 
further dressed out the city and the streets with flags, &c. 
We passed along in front of imposing public buildings, 
magnificent shops, and open squares, and so came to the 
gate of the City (Temple Bar), i.e., of the old town of 
London, over which the Lord Mayor is Governor, 
though he has no authority over the other townships and 
parishes ; i.e., the remainder of the town has no Go- 
vernor, but each parish has a council (vestry), and if anj- 
(grave) event happen, it is referred to the head police- 
man, i.e., the head patrol-man, of the parish, and he 
refers to the Home Secretary. The police of this town 
is eight thousand strong, all handsome young men, in a 
particular dress. The citizens set great estimation on 
the police; whoever behaves disrespectfully to the police, 
is adjudged worthy of death. 

Well; we arrived at the door of the Lord Mayor's 
house, ascended some steps, and there was a hall, where 
were assembled the Heirs-Apparent of England and 
Kussia, their wives, all the Corps Diplomatique, our 
princes and others, the princes, the lady-princesses, 
ladies of distinction, the magnates, and the English 



chap, iv.] England. t 53 

Ministers. We shook hands with each of the Heirs- 
Apparent, and saluted. This is a Government building, 
in which the Governor of London resides. It is called 
The Guildhall. Once a year, at the discretion and 
choice of the citizens, this Governor is changed. The 
members of the local administration wear a remark- 
able costume, large sable caps, gowns and robes lined 
with sable, &c, carrying in one hand a long thin stick, 
and in the other a small sword in the ancient fashion. 
They walked hi front of us. 

We remained in that room, where the Lord Mayor 
made a speech, and we gave a reply. After that, in a 
ceremonious manner, we went into an extremely spacious 
hall in which were chandeliers and jets of gas, having 
given our arm to the wife of the Heir- Apparent of 
England. The company of women and men was great. 
This evening three thousand individuals were invited. 
The Lord Mayor had on a robe the hinder skirt of which 
was very long and trailed on the ground. We went to 
the place of honour, where there were some steps, up 
which we mounted and then sat down on a chair. The 
wives of the two Heirs-Apparent sat on either side of 
us ; all the rest were standing. The Lord Mayor read 
out a written address felicitating our arrival and 
enlarging on the friendship and union existing between 
the two States of England and Iran (Persia). This 
address they had caused to be printed in the Persian 
language, and they gave a copy of it to each of those 
(present) who knew Persian. When the Lord Mayor 
had finished his recital, the Grand- Vazir read out, with 



154 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. iv. 

perfect elocution, the Persian (version) thereof. "We 
delivered an answer, which Laransun Sahib interpreted 
in the English tongue. The ceremonious session was 
now at an end. 

They then gave into the hand of each person a gilt 
pen, having its ink in it, together with a slip of paper 
on which they had written a name ; so that each 
one might write thereon the name of whomsoever he 
might wish to dance with. Thejr also offered the gift 
of a gilt casket. Now the dancing began, which we 
surveyed sitting in that self-same place. Both the 
Heirs- Apparent, together with the ladies and others, all 
danced. 

When the dancing was over, we again gave our arm to 
the wife of the English Heir- Apparent, and went to supper 
— a dinner after midnight. We passed through large halls 
and many staircases and corridors, all full of men and 
graceful women, and in the rooms and staircases of which 
they had arranged all sorts of flowers and shrubs grown in 
vases. Thus we reached a large hall, where they set out 
the supper-table. About four hundred persons were 
seated around this table. An individual, one of the 
citizens, who was the Lord Mayor's deputy, stood behind 
me, and every now and then made proclamation with a 
loud voice to the persons of the company, that they were 
to prepare themselves for a toast ; with this signification : 
" The Lord Mayor drinks wine to the health of the great ; 
all must stand up and drink." First of all the Lord 
Mayor drank to our health ; then the Heir-Apparent of 
England gave a toast, and again the Lord Mayor gave 



chap, tv.] England. 155 

one. Each time, that individual gave notice to the 
company beforehand. 

Supper finished, we rose, returned to our home, and 
went to bed. Throughout our return drive, too, when it 
was midnight, there was the same dense crowd. This 
evening the Chief Usher and the Grand-Vazir rode with 
me in my carriage. 

The Sovereign of England keeps a book, in which each 
person who goes to Windsor Castle to see her inscribes 
his name ; I, too, wrote mine to-day. 

26th (Saturday, 21st June). — To-day we went to see 
the workshops at Woolwich, which is the arsenal, the 
cannon factory, and the iron-works of the English 
Government. From our quarters to that place is a two 
hours' drive in a carriage, the whole being through the 
town and inhabited suburbs. Woolwich, a town of itself, 
is really a parish of London, and inhabited quarters join 
the two. 

In the morning we mounted our carriage and drove 
thither, the princes and others, with our personal at- 
tendants, accompanying us. We passed through populous 
quarters of the town, and over the river Thames by a 
bridge, then through the outskirts where butchers mostly 
do congregate, with labourers and pliers for hire, the 
faces of the whole being black with the smoke of coal, 
and so reached the town and city of Woolwich, a place 
of great importance, where are all the barracks of the 
entire cavalry and infantry of the realm of England. It 
is seated on the banks of the river Thames. 

The Duke of Cambridge, Prince Alfred, Prince Arthur, 



156 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap.tv. 

General Wood, Commander of the Artillery, and Military 
Governor of Woolwich, together with other commanders 
of artillery, infantry, &c, all came forth to meet us, and 
formed a procession in front of us. We, in our carriage, 
drove to see the factories. We traversed a considerable 
distance through streets and public places, where crowds 
were assembled on both sides of our path, shouting 
hurrahs, and whom I saluted in turn, until we reached 
the workshops. We alighted and entered these. 

It is now the system no longer to cast cannons in 
moulds. They make, with implements they use, sheets of 
iron into pipes, of the size they wish the cannons to be. 
These they convey to another shop, 'place them under 
steam-hammers, and squeeze them, and weld them, so 
that they become cannons. They told me this system is 
held in greater consideration. 

One by one w T e visited the workshops. In one place 
the}' draw rifled cannons (as they draw wire), in another 
they cut, in another they bore, in another the} T hammer. 
Quantities of useless cannon of old pattern were lying in 
front of the workshops ; and numbers of shot, with large 
supplies of material, were collected ; this place being the 
arsenal of all England. 

After all these visits and venturing near to the furnaces 
of fire, — which were pretty warm, we mounted our carriage 
and drove to the edifice, by the flank of which we had 
before passed. There a breakfast was laid out. It is a 
hall where the officers of the land and naval forces, as 
well as those of the artilleiy, eat breakfast. It was a 
nice place. We took breakfast; after which we mounted 



chap, iv.] England. 157 

our charger " Blaze," and, with the sons of the Sovereign, 
the Duke of Cambridge, and the rest of the officers, 
went on to a plain (Woolwich Common) of grass-land to 
see the artillery exercise. It was not over spacious. 
More than twenty thousand individual women and men 
were standing around the plain and grass-land to witness 
the spectacle. There were seventy pieces of cannon, 
large and small. According to what they said, these 
cannons had newly arrived from India, and were to return 
thither. The gunners and officers were beautifully dressed. 
The English cannon are after the old pattern, being loaded 
from the muzzle 03^ ramming, and are not breech-loaders 
like those of Krupp. 

The horse and foot artillery marched past in our 
presence ; the second time they came at a trot, then at a 
canter, and lastly at a gallop. After the exercises they 
fired a salute ; they also made me a present of one of the 
nine -pounder guns. 

We now mounted our carriage anew, and by the road 
we had come we returned home. 

Having to go to the theatre in the evening, we dressed ; 
and having taken our seat in a carriage with the Sove- 
reign's Master of the Horse, — who is an intelligent man, 
and the Lord Chamberlain, we drove there. There were 
great crowds by the way, all of whom we saluted. We 
arrived at the theatre. The Heirs- Apparent of England 
and Eussia, the wives of both, the princesses, the princes, 
and the magnates, were all present. It is a very large 
and beautiful theatre, with six tiers of seats. They 
acted some beautiful scenes, the number (of actors) being 



158 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. iv. 

also large. They had sent expressly to Paris and had 
called from thence Patti, who is one of the renowned 
songstresses of Firangistan. She sang most exquisitely. 
She is an exceedingly graceful woman. She accepted a 
fabulous sum of money, and came to London. There 
was another also, Albani by name, from Canada in 
America, who sang extremely well and performed some 
wonderful feats. At last we rose and went home. 

%6th (Sunday, 22nd June). — This day, after breakfast, 
we went to the Garden of Wild Beasts (Zoological 
Gardens), the Husamu-'s-Saltana and the Nusratu-'d- 
Dawla being seated with me in the carriage ; the officers 
of our household, and others, going with us. 

As it was Sunday, the streets were empty, 'all the 
people being in the fields and lanes taking walks. So 
soon, however, as they saw our carriages, they ran from 
all quarters and came towards us, shouting hurrahs. 

The journey was long. We passed through streets, 
squares, and the like, and so reached the gate of the 
Garden of Wild Beasts, where we alighted. There were 
many carriages at the gate of the Garden and in the 
road, which made it evident that, by reason of its being- 
Sunday, a large company had come to the Garden of 
Wild Beasts. 

The Director of the Garden, an old man hard of 
hearing, came forward, and as he knew a little French, 
we conversed with him. There were great numbers of 
women and men, and we passed along a narrow way 
between these men and women, who unceasingly shouted 
hurrahs. In justice, — they do entertain a love towards 



chap, iv.] England, 159 

us, and they conduct themselves with boundless respect 
and good manners. 

Well ; the wild beasts here are separated from one 
another in special cages. There were here several in- 
teresting animals, which had not been seen (by us) else- 
where. First, the hippopotamus, i.e., the marine horse, 
which is a curious thing. There were three of them ; one 
pair, male and female, with one young cub born in this 
very place, and already of considerable age. This was 
standing out of the water, the full-grown ones being in 
the water. People threw food into its mouth, which it 
opened like a gateway. It had very rugged teeth, and 
was of an enormous size. From what I could make out, 
this is the marine rhinoceros. Secondly, there was a 
monkey of great size ancl very repulsive in appearance ; 
it was exactly like a human being, and more especially had 
it the hands and feet of a man. Its keeper made it dance ; 
he stamped with his foot, it stood up ; he spoke (to it), 
it understood English ; it then walked forwards towards 
us, but it continually evinced the desire that they should 
hold it by the hand ancl lead it. They then sent it into 
the cage of the monkeys, where it leapt and sprang about 
in a wonderful manner, and played like a rope-dancer. 
Thirdly, the sea-lion and the sea-fox, which were in a 
basin of water, around which was a railing. An indi- 
vidual spoke to them in French ; they showed great 
intelligence. The lion was of a considerable size, its 
body being covered with a fine down, and its feet re- 
sembling the fins of a fish and the wings of a bat, but it 
ran along with them at a good pace. At the side and in 



160 Diary of a Tour in Eztrope. [chap. it. 

the middle of the basin there was a bench, on which a 
chair had been placed. It got up on the chair, and sat 
down. The fox (seal) was like the lion, but smaller. 
They dived beneath the water ; the keeper gave a sound ; 
immediately on which, they came out of the water and 
kissed their keeper, who had seated himself on the bench. 
He said: "One kiss;" "Two kisses." As many as 
he asked for, kisses they gave him. It was a strange 
sight. Fourthly, there were some very small monkeys, 
no bigger than the rat of Sultaniyya (perhaps the 
marmot, arctomys marmotta), — very curious. There 
were elephants, rhinoceroses, maned-lions, black panthers, 
tigers, and other beasts ; also birds, and j^arrots of all 
colours. Besides these there were many other places to 
visit ; but I was tired and could not go about. The 
crowds, too, were very great ; so we returned home. 

27£/i (Monday, 23rd June). — This day we have to pro- 
ceed to the town and harbour of Portsmouth, to witness 
a review of the men-of-war ; Portsmouth being one of the 
principal military harbours of England. In the morning 
I therefore arose early, though languid from sleepless- 
ness, dressed, took my seat in a carriage, and with the 
Grand-Vazlr, princes, and others, drove to the station of 
the Portsmouth railway. A great crowd had collected. 
We took our places in the train, and waited until the 
Heir- Apparent of England, the Heir-Apparent of Russia, 
with their wives, and others, arrived. They occupied 
another carriage in the same train with ourselves, and we 
started. The whole of the road was populous, green and 
smiling, with larch forests. AVe travelled about three 



chap. it. ] England. 1 6 1 

hours or less before arriving at Portsmouth. This is a 
town of importance and a great military harbour, with 
strong forts and batteries. At the wharf we alighted. 
The Governor, with his subordinates, came and made a 
speech, formal presentations being also gone through. 
They fired many guns on shore and on the water. We 
entered the ship named the " Victoria and Albert," — a 
ship special to the Sovereign, very fast, large, and beau- 
tiful, together with the two Heirs- Apparent, the princes, 
the naval commanders, and others. The captain of this 
ship is named Prince-Linoge (sic, for : His Serene High- 
ness Ernest Leopold V.A.J.E., Prince of Leiningen, 
G.C.B.). They had laid out a breakfast. We and the 
others went into the cabin and sat down to breakfast. 
Afterwards, the Heir- Apparent of England said: "Arise, 
and let us go up in the ship; the ships are going to salute. " 
We arose and went up. All came. Two little sons of the 
Heir-Apparent of England had also come, dressed in 
the costume of sailors. We stood up. The men-of-war, 
about fifty tillers in number, were stationed at anchor in 
a double line, like a street on the sea. They fired a 
volley. The sailors had gone up into the yards, raised 
their voices, and shouted hurrahs. Other spectators, 
also, that had come from London, the seaports, and else- 
where, were in steamers and boats, large and small, 
innumerable. The surface of the sea was blackened with 
spectators, who all shouted hurrahs. They had hoisted 
flags with the Irani device on board every ship. It was 
a commotion ! 

We went on approaching near to the Isle of Wight, 

M 



1 62 Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap. iv. 

•which is in the English Channel, and is a very pretty 
island. A town was visible on the island, nestled in the 
bosom of a hill and named Eyde, which had its hand- 
some houses arranged in successive tiers. On this island 
the Sovereign has a castle, built by her and her husband, 
and called Osborne, which was sighted at a distance. It 
appeared, from its external aspect, to be a nice palace 
built on a hill, with woods and lawns around it. 

Still proceeding, we passed through the street of men- 
of-war, all of which fired guns and gave a salute. When 
we had finished the promenade, we got into a boat for 
the purpose of examining two ships. We went first to 
the ship " Azincourt " (sic, French for Agincourt), which 
is the largest ship of war of the English Government. 
The captain of this ship is named Fibs Hurubi (sic, for 
Admiral G. T. Phipps Hornby ; her captain being 
K. 0. B. Fitzroy), who was present with many naval 
officers. The length of the ship is more than 150 feet 
(sic; she is. 400 feet between perpendiculars), with a 
steam-power of 15,000 horses * (sic ; her indicated power 
is 6867 horses) ; her guns are very large, some of them 
being on the upper deck, but the greater number on the 
lower deck. We went below and saw all over her, even 

* The " Agincourt " is really 400 feet long between the perpendiculars ; 
probably the r mistake has been made of saying "feet" instead of "ells," 
though the latter, 150 ells =520 feet, would have been in excess. The 
indicated power of her engines is 6867 horses. 

The Kussian ship "Kremlin," mentioned in p. 57, is said to be armed 
with eighteen guns, six smooth-bore 60-pounders, of 97 cwts., ten 
breech-loading and rifled 180-pounders of about nine tons, and two 
90-pounders of jibout four tons each.— J. W. E, 



chap, iv.] England. 163 

the kitchen, the sailors' mess-tier, and other places. 
They sounded a fife, for thern to prepare for action. In 
one instant all the sailors came down from the upper 
deck, and with extreme celerity went through their fight- 
ing exercise. With the apparatus furnished they turned 
those guns ahout, notwithstanding their enormous size ; 
which had much to surprise one. There were about 
thirty of these colossal guns (really twenty- eight). The 
ship is also armour-clad. 

From her we went by boat to the other ship, named 
the " Sultan," which is also a very large ship, armour- 
clad on both sides. The name of her nakhuda (captain) 
is Vansittart ; her guns are less (in number, being but 
twelve in all), but much larger. When we had inspected 
her, we descended, seated ourselves in our boat, and 
returned to our own ship. In our boat the Heirs- 
Apparent of Russia and England, their wives, the 
Mu'tamadu-'l-Mulk, the Duke of Cambridge, and others 
were seated, and we were taken in tow by a small steamer. 
As it arrived at the foot of the accommodation-ladder of 
our ship, it shot past that spot and went under the 
steam-paddle-wheel of the ship, at the very moment when 
the steam-paddle-wheel was set in motion. It wanted 
but little for the paddles of the wheel to strike our boat. 
If, — which God avert, — only one of the paddles had 
struck our boat, we should all have been drowned. 
Thanks to God Most High, the wheel stopped, we 
escaped uninjured, ascended into our ship, and returned 
to the seaport-town of Portsmouth. There again they 
had set out breakfast in a room ; of which we partook. 

m 2 



1 64 Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap, it.. 

Then, mounting a carriage, we went to see the workshops 
where they make the various objects used in steamers 
and for maritime purposes. We went through them ; it 
was an interesting sight. 

We now took our path up a ladder, and mounted to 
where they were building a very large ship of war, into 
which we went. The artificers were at work upon her. 
They had given her the name of " Nasiru-'d-Din Shah " 
(the " Shah," 26 guns, 5696 horse-power). We again 
descended (went to the station), took our seats in the 
train, and started for town, where we arrived at sunset. 

This evening there is to be a concert, i.e., a meeting 
with vocal and instrumental music, at the Albert Hall, to 
which we are to go. After our evening meal, therefore, 
we again got into our carriage and went, with the Grand- 
Vazir and others, through Hyde Park, and entered that 
edifice, where the Heirs-Apparent of England and 
Russia, together with all the English officials, and others, 
were present. 

We first were shown into a corridor more than six or 
seven ells wide (21 ft. to 24 ft. 6. in.), and covered over 
with glass. It was said to be of iron. On either side of 
this corridor were ranged various factory machines, i.e., 
small machines like models, but beautifully made, and 
very pretty, — that were put in motion by steam power. 
We noticed many industrial processes, — sweetmeat- 
making, cigar and tobacco-making, the cutting of the 
flour threads, called macaroni by the Franks, lemonade- 
making, soda-water-making, where the bottles are filled 
and securely corked in an instant, Tunbridge-ware-mak- 



■chap, iv.] England. 165 

ing, silk- winding, cloth-weaving, newspaper-printing, and 
many various branches of art and industry that we cannot 
enumerate. They were performed with ease by these 
machines. It was in great detail. 

The management of this exhibition is in the hands of 
the magnates of England, — of the Foreign Secretary 
Lord Granville, and others. They walked on before us, 
the Heirs-Apparent of England and Kussia being present, 
with others. 

Having inspected these for a considerable time, we 
mounted a great many stairs, and arrived at numerous 
halls hung with portraits, panoramic views, and other 
paintings. There were very choice portraits painted in 
oil, such that we had not yet seen so beautiful in any 
other place. The President of this collection of pictures 
is Prince Alfred, son of the Sovereign of England, who is 
the chief of the navy ; and the paintings have all been 
done by naval officers and navy officials each out of his 
own imagination, and then sent here. 

Leaving these, we entered into a series of corridors 
where were collected, for the purpose of sale, the articles 
produced by the machines we had inspected below. 
There were beautiful women and maidens, some em- 
ployed at work with those machines in the manufactory 
below, and others occupied in the business of selling 
them here above. 

Passing through these we came to a place the very 
picture of paradise. All these corridors, apartments, 
and manufactories were lighted up in various wonderful 
manners by jets of gas. 



1 66 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap, iv. 

The very concert itself was in an exceedingly spacious 
enclosure with a roof in shape of a dome, very vast 
and very lofty. Around this dome were seven tiers of 
seats, all occupied by people, all filled with beauteous 
women magnificently apparelled, a great assembly, and 
all nobles and magnates. The pit, too, was full of 
women and men. Multitudes of gaslights were burning. 
We, likewise, went below, where, in the midst of all that 
assembly, they had arranged chairs. Together with the 
Heirs-Apparent of England and Eussia, with the grandees 
of Persia, and with the ministers and magnates of 
England, we took our seats in due order. In front of 
us was a very large organ of the size of a palace, with 
iron columns, and with tubes from whence issue the 
sounds of musical instruments. Outspreading like a 
plane-tree, it was fixed to one side of the wall of the 
building. Eight and left of the organ eight hundred 
individuals, beautiful women and maidens, were seated 
in tiers, four hundred on the one side, four hundred on 
the other, all dressed in white, but four hundred wearing 
blue ribbons, four hundred red. Above these women 
there were boys in handsome dresses, also to the number 
of eight hundred. These all sang in extremely sweet 
accord to the tunes of the orchestra and organ. This 
latter was played by one person, and its sound reached 
to a great distance. He played well; but wind was 
supplied to it by steam. Otherwise, how could one indi- 
vidual, with his feet, or with his hands, blow the needful 
blast ? On the lower benches there were also a great 
many musicians. From no one did there arise a sound 



chap, iv.] England. 167 

all quietly lent ear and looked on. It lasted more than 
an hour. When all was come to an end, we returned 
home and went to bed. 

28th (Tuesday, 24th June). — To-day, at 2 o'clock in 
the afternoon, we have to go to Windsor Castle, to 
witness a review of some troops by the Sovereign. I 
arose in the morning, and the English Secretary of State 
for India, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and 
the Prime Minister, came to an audience. A great deal 
of conversation took place, which lasted an hour and a 
half. The Grand- Vazir was also present. The meeting 
passed off pleasantly. We then went to breakfast. 

The Grand- Vazir now came and represented that the 
Indian Secretary was waiting and wished to present his 
subordinates, and that the inhabitants of the cities of 
England had brought an address, i.e., a petition of felici- 
tations on our arrival, which they wished to recite. We 
went into a hall ; deputations were come from the great 
cities of England, and presented the felicitations of 
arrival. The members of the Persian Mission (in London) 
were then presented. The Jews of London, the Magians 
(Parsees), the Armenians of Manchester, and others, had 
addresses or speeches which they delivered. 

Afterwards, the Indian Secretary presented his subor- 
dinates, who were in great numbers ; among them being 
Gold-Ismlt (Col. F. J. Goldsmicl, K.C.S.I.),— who had 
gone to the frontiers of Sistan and Baluchistan, Ismit 
(Major Smith), the telegraph-men of Tehran, and others. 

We now mounted our carriage and drove to the station. 
The Heirs -Apparent of England and Russia, with their 



1 68 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. iv. 

wives, and others, as also the greater part of our suite, 
were there. We started and arrived at Windsor. 

Windor Castle is, in truth, a strong fortress, built of 
stone in times of old on the summit of a hill. We 
alighted at the foot of the steps. The Sovereign had 
again come to the foot of the staircase to receive us. We 
took each other's hands, and went upstairs. All came. 
We stopped (there) a little, when I, with the two Heirs- 
Apparent, and the others, descended and mounted on 
horseback. I rode the charger of the Yaminu-'d-Dawla. 
Some English Generals and Officers, with a squadron of 
cavalry, aH rode in front of us, and we went down the 
long avenue that fronts the Castle, at the end of which 
was an open space, the parade ground. The road was 
exactly a league in length. On both sides of our path 
women and men stood in such crowds, that it was (almost) 
impossible to get along; and they shouted hurrahs in 
such a fashion, that, at the sound thereof, the horses of 
our cortege took fright and began to act as though mad. 
My horse, however, by reason of its long journeys, and of 
the shakings it had sustained at sea and on the railways, 
showed no signs whatever of taking fright, but remained 
quiet. 

In this way we proceeded until we arrived at the end of 
the avenue, near to the parade ground. There we halted 
until the Sovereign should come up, with the wives of the 
two Heirs-Apparent, who were seated with her in the 
same carriage. So soon as they approached, we pushed 
on, and the Sovereign followed behind us. We went on 
to the parade ground, — a spacious greensward, around 



chap, iv.] England. 169 

which were trees and forests. On one side, hi form of a 
semicircle, women and men, spectators, were standing in 
such numbers that no computation of them was feasible. 
There were also erected, in a row, about ten or fifteen 
timber huts, like tents, in which the grandees and nobles, 
men and women, were seated, tier upon tier. They had 
hoisted flags of the " Lion and Sun," and the English 
flag, everywhere in front of this semicircle ; while two 
large standards, one with the device of Persia, the other 
with that of England, were hoisted in the centre of the 
circle, where we were to take up our positions. 

Well; we arrived under the standards, and there 
stopped. The Sovereign also came, and stopped, in her 
carriage. Mutual salutations took place. Then, we, with 
the Heirs -Apparent and the Duke of Cambridge, &c, 
started, passed down the ranks of the troops, returned, 
and took up our positions by the side of the Sovereign's 
carriage. The weather to-day was cloudy and inclined 
to rain. We offered thanks to the Lord that rain did not 
fall. There were seven or eight battalions; three or 
four battalions of Guards, who had splendid uniforms, 
with enormous fur caps of bear-skin, &c. These caps are 
very awe-inspiring. The battalions were very beau- 
tiful. There were two battalions in Scotch costume, and 
another battalion named after the Heir-Apparent of 
England, and called " Archers " (Kifle-Brigade ; Col. in 
Chief, H.K.H. the Prince of Wales, K.G.). The artillery, 
the armour-wearing household cavalry, the hussar cavalry, 
were all very beautiful. Altogether there were seven or 
eight thousand men present, who went through their 



1 70 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. it. 

manoeuvres beautifully. Several times they marched 
round the parade-ground; and then, retiring to a dis- 
tance, they practised firing. I gave with my own hand a 
jewelled sabre to the Duke of Cambridge, Commander- 
in-Chief of the English (Forces). Much conversation 
took place with the Sovereign. 

When the exercises were finished, — which was about the 
time of sunset, I, with the two Heirs -Apparent, the Duke 
of Cambridge, and others, gallopped through the crowd 
to Windsor Castle, a distance of a league ; and on ar- 
riving there, dismounted and went upstairs, retired to a 
private room, and took our repose. In half an hour's 
time we returned to the Sovereign's presence, took leave, 
and went to the station. 

We were invited for this evening to a dinner and ball 
at the residence of the Foreign Secretary Lord Granville. 
As the Heir-Apparent of England and his wife were 
fatigued, they telegraphed from Windsor to ask for the 
entertainment to be put off. On account of this telegram 
we dined at home. But, since we had given our promise, 
we went to the evening party and ball at the residence of 
the Foreign Secretary. But the ball was at the Foreign 
Office, i.e., at the Government Office of the Ministry for 
Foreign Affairs. The Heirs- Apparent, and others, were 
present. We went there. It is an imposing and beau- 
tiful building. The wife of the Foreign Secretary came 
forward. We gave her our hand and went upstairs. 
They had collected numerous flowers and shrubs on the 
stairs and in the passages. The whole of the nobility of 
England, women and men, the Diplomatic Corps, with 



chap, it.] England. 171 

their wives, were invited. We went into a room and 
took a seat, where there was a table with chairs round it. 
We then arose, took the hand of the Foreign Secretary's 
wife, and walked round the whole of the rooms and stair- 
cases ; after which, performing mutual salutations with 
all, we returned home and went to bed. 

29th (Wednesday, 25th June). — To-day we have to 
go to Greenwich. It is not connected with the town, 
nor outside of it. It is on the bank of the river Thames ; 
and, in reality, is accounted a suburban parish of the 
town. 

In the morning we arose early. The Grand- Vazir was 
not present. We took our seat in a carriage with the 
Mu'tamadu-'l-Mulk and the Lord-in- Waiting, and so 
started. We passed through the streets of the town and 
entered the city — the old town of London. We passed 
down the well-known street named Eegent Street — full of 
beautiful shops, where the whole of the business of buying 
and selling is carried on, and which is very famous. 
There was such a concourse of people, and such a throng 
of carriages, that one became bewildered and stupefied. 
Again, we passed through other streets, and so entered 
the old Tower of London. The Governor of the Tower, 
who is a General, came out with all the notables and 
Aldermen of the City. The walls and turrets of the 
fortress are all of stone. The jewels, arms, &c, of the 
ancient monarchs are all kept there. We had wished to 
see them to-day, but there was no opportunity. We came 
out on the bank of the river Thames, where a battalion of 
infantry, with the band, was drawn out. The crowd, too, 



172 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. iv. 

was such that one marvelled. They had carpeted the river- 
bank and hoisted flags. All the officers and grandees of 
England were present. They had prepared for us a large 
and handsome steamer. The English Heir- Apparent, the 
Kussian Heir- Apparent, with their wives, and others, had 
all arrived before us, and had taken their places in 
another steamer. As soon as we arrived with our suite, 
— all our princes and followers, with the exception of the 
'Imadu-'d-Dawla, being present, we went on board. The 
weather was very cold, and a nasty wind was blowing. 
The smoke of ships and manufactories invaded our vessel. 
This river has an ebb and flow. In the morning, up to 
noon-time, the water rises ; and from the middle of the 
afternoon it diminishes, so as to make a difference of one 
or two ells (3 ft. 6 in. to 7 ft.). Of the English, DIksun, 
Tarns fm, Laransun, and others, were present. 

Our ship took the lead, that of the Heirs-Apparent 
followed, and we steamed off. There were such numbers 
of spectators on steam and sailing vessels, that they could 
not be counted, while there were multitudes of large and 
small boats; the whole coming along with us. We 
passed through the middle of London. Both banks of 
the river were covered with public buildings, manufac- 
tories, and lofty edifices. We entered a Dock. A " clock " 
is a number of basins constructed for ships, — in which 
merchantmen and others are repaired, — in which, having 
entered, they take in their cargoes of merchandize, or 
discharge the same. There are warehouses, too, built on 
the quays of the docks, which are furnished with mecha- 
nical appliances of large size, by which thej' lift the 



chap, iv.] England. 173. 

cargoes of merchandize from the ships to the shore, or 
from the shore to the ships, with great facility. These 
docks have a gate of iron arranged to the river, which is 
opened and shut with ease at the time of ships' passing 
in or out. The width thereof is small, so that large 
vessels pass with difficulty. So many ships, and so many 
spectators were seen as to set one wondering where they 
could all have been; and all were well-dressed, the 
women all good-looking. 

We left the dock again and returned to the river. The 
same crowds in ships, — some accompanying us on our 
course, others fast to the shores of the stream, and all 
gazing at us. They fired cannons everywhere. 

After continuing a certain distance, we arrived at 
Greenwich, where is the Naval College of England, and 
which possesses an imposing palace. Landing from our 
ship, we went to the palace of the Minister of Marine, — 
a very large and ancient palace, built two hundred years 
ago. The Heirs-Apparent, with their wives, and others, 
were of the party. In this hall there are some portraits 
of ancient commanders, and some paintings of naval 
engagements. It had a dais, ascended by some steps, up 
which we went. Here they had prepared breakfast for 
us, and we sat down to it with the princes and others. 
The table where the remainder breakfasted was very long, 
and there a large party of men and women sat down to 
the repast. 

The collation over, they showed me the blood-stained 
garments of Lord Nelson, which are preserved in a case. 
A bullet struck his epaulette and passed down by his 



1 74 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. iv. 

shoulder-blade. We examined his white waistcoat, which 
bore the marks of blood. The action is known as 
the Battle of Trafalgar, in which the English Fleet en- 
gaged those of France and Spain, and, notwithstanding 
that Lord Nelson was killed, the English gained the 
victory. 

We now descended, and the Heirs-Apparent, with their 
wives, took leave and departed, as I wished to go to the 
Observatory. 

I proceeded to the open ground of the Naval College, 
in the middle of which there was a large ship of war fully 
rigged, for the exercises of the naval boys, who there 
practise their manual drills. About five hundred naval 
pupils, too, were drawn up in line. We stopped a while 
to see them exercise ; and then, mounting a carriage, 
drove off to the Observatory. 

The tower of the Observatory is built on a high hill, 
and is ascended by stone steps. Large telescopes are 
mounted in a species of turrets, winch are made to 
revolve by machinery, so that the telescopes point in any 
required direction. It has a celebrated Chief Astronomer, 
who has so often ascended into the air in a balloon. Its 
view over the city of London and the environs of the 
river Thames is magnificent. We descended, drove to 
the landing-place, and again mounting the same ship 
(that had brought us), proceeded on our return. The 
water of the river towards the afternoon, acted upon by 
the influence of the tides, becomes low. This time, as 
we passed the docks by, and went straight on our course 
up the river, we passed under several large bridges of 



chap, iv.] England. 1 75 

iron and of stone, — on which great crowds were standing, 
and arrived opposite to the Houses of Parliament. 
These are a majestic pile of building, surprisingly lofty, 
and with a very high tower. They told me that twelve 
crores (6,000,000L) have been spent in its erection. The 
Houses of Parliament are on the right of the river (as 
you ascend the stream), and opposite to them, on the left 
bank, stands St. Thomas's Hospital, which is also an 
imposing structure. 

We left the ship, mounted our carriage, and drove 
home. This evening there is to be a ball in the upper 
rooms of this very palace of ours. In the evening, 
therefore, we went upstairs. Everybody was there. We 
took the hand of the wife of the Heir- Apparent, walked 
off, and sat down. Everybody danced the ordinary ball 
dance ; after which a man of Scotland came attired in 
the Scotch garb and played the bagpipes, which make a 
noise like the trumpet of Iran. Prince Alfred, Prince 
Arthur, and others, danced a Scotch dance. Well; 
after this dance the company broke up, and we went to 
another room to supper. They had placed food and 
fruit, &c, on the table ; of which all ate. The Indian 
prince was also there. We then descended and went to 
bed. 

To-morrow we have to go to the cities of Liverpool and 
Manchester ; also to the castle of Trentham, which is the 
property of the Duke of Sutherland. 

Thursday, 30th (26th June). — We arose from sleep 
early in the morning, mounted our carriage, and started. 
The Mu'tamadu-'l-Mulk and Lord Morley rode with me ; 



i j6 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. iv. 

the Grand- Vazir, the princes, and the greater portion of 
our retinue remained behind in London . 

Well; we passed through Regent Street, which has 
many beautiful shops, full of goods of every kind in the 
world. We also noticed in that same street a most 
magnificent hotel, where Americans chiefly resort, and 
therefore called The American Hotel. We continued our 
course, arrived at the station, took our seat in a train 7 
and started. 

From London to Liverpool is a five hours' journey r 
and a distance of fifty leagues. To-day the train passed 
through very many "holes in mountains," the ground 
being extremely hilly and intersected with valleys. 
Everywhere we found woods, green fields, cultivation, 
and populousness. We passed by towns, large and smalL 
The town of Stoke, which possesses a very celebrated 
manufactory of porcelain, was on our waj r . It is here 
they make the English china-ware. In contiguit} T with 
the town of Liverpool we passed through a very long 
"hole," that occupied five minutes to clear it. Im- 
mediately on quitting it, the Liverpool terminus was 
visible. An immense crowd was there collected. To-day, 
in the course of our journey we passed over an enormous 
bridge, very lofty, built across the river Merse}', which 
flows through this very town of Liverpool, and falls into 
the sea. It is not a long river, but it is broad and 
grand. 

Well; coming out from the terminus, we mounted a 
carriage. The Governor, with other officials and mag- 
nates of the city, was in front of the terminus. The 



England. 177 



Governor mounted a carriage and preceded. We followed 
him, the Mu'tamadu-'l-Mulk, with the Lord (Morley), 
being in front of us again. The city of Liverpool is one of 
the great cities, ports, and commercial marts of England, 
and does business chiefly with America, from whence it 
principally draws wheat and cotton. The wheat crop of 
England is not sufficient for the food of its inhabitants. 
Emigrants in large numbers embark at this port for 
America, coming from England, Germany, and elsewhere. 
According to what was learnt, more than two hundred 
thousand emigrants annually leave this port for the New 
World, not one of whom ever returns. The region of 
Firangistan has an important company for the expedition 
of emigrants. There were two large ships, with emi- 
grants, anchored in front of the city in the river, that 
were, according to arrangement, to have left this morning, 
but put off their departure merely to witness my arrival, 
and will start this evening. The name of one of them 
was the " Oceanie " ; she was a very large ship, and had 
a thousand emigrants on board. 

Well ; the crowds along our road, on each side, were 
innumerable ; and the streets having been made narrow, 
there was no getting along with the carriages. From 
the windows, roofs, and roadsides such vociferations of 
hurrahs were there, that one's ears were deafened. Not 
one old woman or child was left in the town, that did not 
come to see the sight. It is a city of commerce and 
manufactures ; it has therefore many working people. 
In proportion to the inhabitants of London, many more 
poor people were noticed in these parts, on whose counte- 



1 78 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. iv. 

nances were visibly stamped the signs that they obtained 
a living with difficulty. 

We arrived at an open space, alighted, and entered a 
public building named St. George (St. George's Hall), 
where there were a large hall and upper chamber, and on 
a platform in the hall of which they had arranged a 
throne, on which we took our seat. In the hall were 
crowds of women and men. The Governor read an 
address and commented on the friendship and concord of 
the two States of England and Persia. To this we 
made a reply, which Laransiin interpreted. Tarns Cm and 
Diksun were both present. 

We now rose, returned to the carriage, and drove to the 
residence of the Governor, — a nice building, where we 
waited a while in a room, as a light rain was falling. 
Thence we went into a large hall, where a breakfast was 
laid out on tables. We took a seat and ate some fruit, &c. 
The Governor drank my health as a toast, after which 
the breakfast came to an end. An immense crowd had 
collected in the square and courtyard of the edifice. We 
went in front of a window and saluted them for a while, 
returning thence to a private room, where we remained a 
certain interval, and then descending, remounted the 
carriage, and drove to the riverside. 

Here we went on board a ship, together with our whole 
party, proceeded to the mouth of the sea and back again. 
The river is very broad and has a town on both shores. 
The air of the town was cold. We now retraced our 
course through the crowds and reached the station, got 
into our train, and by the same railway that we had come 



-chap, iv.] England. 1 79 

•travelled back, after an interval of three hours, to 
Trentham Castle, the seat of the Duke of Sutherland. 

Our train stopped before the gate of the park, where 
the Duke, with his following, was waiting. We got into 
a carriage and drove in. There were lawns, avenues, 
•flowers ; and deer of the same kind that we had seen at 
Windsor were grazing on the lawns. The Duke has 
^erected here and there detached houses for his gardeners, 
his keepers, and others. He has also built a hotel, and 
has a small chapel. We arrived and alighted at the door 
of the Castle, entered the apartments, and went to a 
private conservatory that was within the house. We 
there saw varieties of flowers, palm-trees, and the like, 
which are found in but few places. In the centre was a 
small round basin of water, with a fountain, over which 
was the figure, in marble, of a naked woman seated. 
Beneath this water flowed, extremely clear and pellucid. 
The perfume of the flowers clung about the place ; 
especially the odour of a species of large white and 
•variegated lily, of seed from Japan, that was beautiful 
and fragrant beyond conception. 

We sat there awhile and smoked a galaydn (Persian 
huqqa, hookah, hubble-bubble, water-pipe), and then 
went in front of the facade of the building, where is a 
large garden, but of which the trees are small shrubs of 
cypress, larch, and others like orange-trees, grown in 
pots, placed out in the flower-beds, and clipped round 
into globular heads. The flower-beds were very exten- 
sive and beautiful, full of bloom, and with all sorts 
of evergreens permanently planted out. There were 

N2 



180 Diary of a Tour in Eitrope. [chap. it. 

avenues, lawns like velvet, numerous fountains playing ; 
and beyond these beds and gardens a natural lake, long, 
crooked, and tortuous, in which were several small 
islands full of copses, flower-beds, and walks, to which 
access was had by boats. Around this lake, again, is a 
rising ridge covered with green and smiling verdure ; and 
beyond all are avenues covered in with trees, flowers, and 
grapevines, for which they have set up trellises of iron 
wire ; and external to these trellises and avenues are 
the Duke's hothouses ; which are extremely neat and 
handsome, being stocked with all sorts of flowers, and 
plants of variegated foliage, from the New World and 
elsewhere. 

The banana was seen there, which is a pretty-looking* 
edible thing, like a small, long, fresh pumpkin ; it has a 
yellow skin, and when ripe has the flavour of a musk- 
melon, is soft, and in like manner can be taken with the 
fingers and eaten, though it is somewhat nauseating ; it 
is called muz in Persian or in Hindustani, and is pro- 
duced largely in that part of Baluchistan which is held 
by Persia, and in Makran. There were also nectarines, 
peaches, white and black grapes, figs, plums, straw- 
berries, cucumbers, and other things. The whole of 
these fruits are found in these hothouses in the various 
stages of unripeness, half-ripeness, and maturity. With 
the assistance of apparatus and screws which they have 
applied, the gardener has only to turn these, and he can 
open the windows and rooflights, or close them, as 
required. 

Well ; we returned to the apartments. The edifice 



chap, iv.] England. 181 

possesses grand rooms, full of objects, cheerful, and 
adorned with beautiful paintings. The English Consul- 
General in Egypt, Ostantene {sic, for Colonel, now Major- 
General E. Stanton, C.B.), was there; he has recently 
arrived here. Lord Choseby {sic, for the Earl of 
Shrewsbury), who is a nobleman, and has a palace in the 
neighbourhood, with a garden laid out in the Swiss 
fashion, was also present. An Englishman who, before 
the war with the English and French, had been a pri- 
soner in the hands of the Chinese, whose name was Cok 
{sic, for H. B. Loch, Esq., C.B.), and who had a long, 
thick beard, was there too. I asked him the particulars 
of his captivity, and he told me that the Chinese in his 
captivity had tortured him exceedingly. Some English 
noblemen were present, who for years have been the 
companions and associates of the Duke. A brother, a 
brother's son, and a son of the Duke, were there like- 
wise. The Duke's son is entitled the Marquis of 
Stafford; his eldest brother is Lord Albert Gower, and 
his younger brother is Lord Konald. 

Well ; in the evening we partook of an excellent 
dinner, and a beautiful illumination was carried out. 
We took a stroll. There was a place arranged for the 
game of bowls. In the middle was a long plank, hollow 
down the centre, and in two stages ; within these they had 
passed many bowls, large and small. On either side of 
this a line on the ground is laid down with planks, 
• ridgeways ; and on both sides of this is a channel. One 
must throw the bowl with force, so that it may go and 
strike certain objects collected together at the (other) 



1 82 Diary of a Totir in Europe, [chap. iv.. 

end. Every bowl that strikes an object they take away;: 
and each one that does not strike, falls into those 
channels. The players form two sides ; one party plays 
on this side of the wooden line, the other party on the- 
other side. Several people stand also at the further end. 
When the bowls are cast into the wooden line, they come 
along of themselves to the players ; and the objects which 
have been struck and have fallen down, are again set up. 

We went to that place ; and at that conjuncture, the 
Duke and the rest came also. I asked him whether he 
himself played. In one instant the Duke and the other 
Englishmen stripped, took off their hats, and played. 
It was a beautiful game, well worth seeing. 

The intendent of the Duke's household, who, a few 
days before, had been wounded in the leg (or foot) by the 
charge of a gun that went off in the hands of one of his- 
men, limped. His name was Eai'te (sic, for H. Wright,. 
Esq., — the Duke's private secretary). 

Friday, 1st of Jnmacla-l-'ula (First Jumada, 27th 
June). — Having breakfasted in our quarters, we took our 
seat in a train, and started to go into the city of 
Manchester. The train went at a very rapid pace. The 
greater number of our household, &c, remained behind 
at home. To-day also we passed through some dark 
"holes." Leaving behind us various towns and "popu- 
lous places," we went in the first instance to the works 
at Crew. Alighting from the main line of railway, we 
mounted a very diminutive steam-carriage that went 
through the works. It was a very pretty and novel 
thing. But soon alighting, we went on foot to see the 



ch a p. i v. ] England. 183 

workshops. In that place they manufacture the various 
parts and appliances of engines, locomotives, and railway 
carriages ; and they saw with great facility very large and 
thick masses of iron, while they are red-hot. Conveying 
them under rollers, they soften them, form them into 
plates and sheets that excite surprise. And furthermore, 
the masses of iron which, being destined to be made into 
chains (probably, for rails), are rendered long and thin, 
were like so many red snakes running about on the 
ground. Again, in order to unite the plates of iron, to 
forge them, and to weld them, they had machines like 
two rams butting one another. They place the iron 
between these ; they butt. 

Well ; after surveying all, we came away, and pro- 
ceeded to another shop where finer work is done. This, 
too, we witnessed. Then, rejoining our train, we 
journeyed to Manchester. It is two hours and a half s 
journey from Trentham Castle to Manchester. We 
arrived at the station, where there was a greater as- 
semblage and more sightseers than at Liverpool. 

The city of Manchester, by reason of its exceeding 
number of manufactories, has its houses, doors and 
walls, black as coal. So much so, that the complexions, 
visages, and dresses of the people are all black. The 
whole of the ladies of that place at most times wear 
black clothing, because, no sooner do they put on white 
or coloured dresses, than lo ! they are suddenly black. 

The Governor, magnates, and nobles of the city, with 
the magistrates of the environs, were at the station 
waiting. We mounted a carriage and drove to the 



1 84 Diary of a Toitr in Ettrope. [char iv. 

Government House, where there was a large hall. On 
the top of a flight of steps they had placed a chair, on 
which we took our seat. The Governor made a speech ; 
and we gave a detailed reply, enunciatory of our friend- 
ship with the Government of England, and of the pleasure 
and gratification we had experienced from the fact that, 
from the first of our arrival on the soil of England, the 
greatest regard had been shown us by the Sovereign and 
the nation. Laransun Sahib interpreted this in English. 
Every one approved. 

We then went to another room, where breakfast was 
laid out. We ate a little ; and then, mounting a carriage, 
we drove to see a manufactory of cotton yarn. We drove 
down a very long street, both sides of which were densely 
crowded with people. They so shouted their hurrahs 
that one's ears were nearly deafened. They showed a 
very great desire to see us. 

We arrived at the manufactory, which was of five 
stories, in each of which one kind of work was carried on. 
For the most part, women were employed at the work, 
and made the yarns and other things. On the ground- 
floor they wove cotton cloths, which, when taken to 
another place, were coloured as chintzes, and are carried 
to all parts of the world. The lower workroom was 
exceedingly interesting, and was as spacious as a large 
public square. Certainly there were about two thousand 
looms there for weaving, and at each loom four women 
were occupied. I walked past the whole. Suddenly the 
manufactory was (as it were) overthrown by voices. 
Maidens, matrons, and men sang a pretty song. After 



-oHAr.'iT.] England. 185 

the singing was over we went forth, mounted our carriage, 
and drove to the station, whence we started on our return 
to Trentham. 

The Castle was reached an hour and a half before sun- 
set. The Duke and others were present. We went on 
foot to look at the deer in the park, and then mounted a 
boat, the Duke himself accepting the fatigue of rowing. 
We landed on the islands and walked about. All passed 
off pleasantly. In the evening, after dinner, they played 
again at bowls ; all were there ; the Duke's son played 
better than any one else. 

Saturday, 2nd (28^ June). — We have to go to London, 
as we are to be the guest, in the afternoon, of the Heir- 
Apparent of England at Chiswick for a stroll, conversation, 
and refection. 

In the morning we rose, mounted a carriage, exchanged 
adieux with the Duke, and started. It was more than 
a three hours' journey. We passed some towns and 
through numerous tunnels. Two of the "holes" were 
long, each occupjdng five minutes in the transit. We 
also passed along two narrow and protracted gullies 
(cuttings) ; the height of the (escarpments of these) 
gullies is not very great, but they were (sheer) like walls, 
one being all of stone, the other of stone and earth mixed 
together. It became apparent what expenses are in- 
curred in the construction of these "iron-roads." 

Well ; we arrived at the London terminus, — where there 
were crowds, and from thence reached home. One hour 
later we left for Chiswick. 

This mansion and garden are the property of the Duke 



1 86 Diary of a Totir in Europe, [chap, iv, 

of Devonshire, — one of the wealthy men of England, and 
a relation of the Duke of Sutherland. He has given it, a& 
a trust, to the Heir- Apparent to serve as a summer resi- 
dence for him. Crowds innumerable were in the streets, 
at the windows, and on the roofs. The Grand- Vazir and 
Lord Morley were in the carriage with us. The distance 
took about an hour. Numerous carriages were journeying 
to Chiswick, and bearing thither the invited. Entering 
the avenue that leads to the garden, we drove along until 
we reached the gate of the private garden. Here we 
alighted and entered the garden. The princes and others- 
were of the party. They had set up some tents on the 
lawns and about the garden, which has a poor (or, small) 
mansion. In a tent were the Heirs-Apparent of Eussia 
and England, their wives, with many ladies, the foreign 
Eepresentatives, the English Ministers, and others. We 
stopped (there) a while ; the Sovereign also came. We 
went into her presence ; we sat in a tent a little while 
and conversed ; after which I went for a stroll with the 
English Heir- Apparent. There was a pretty flower- 
garden, which also had its hothouse. The whole of the 
men and women walked about. In a large tent food had 
been set out in profusion. The people stood on foot, 
and all ate something. After this they made ready in 
the garden a cedar-tree and a spade, that I might plant 
the tree in memory of myself. I planted it. This custom 
in Firangistan is a high honour in respect of great 
personages. We then went to the tent of the Sovereign, 
exchanged aclieux, and she left for Windsor. We waited 
a little, and then returned by the same road we came. 



chap, iv.] England. ' 187* 

Arrived at home, as we had 110 engagement for the 
evening, we retired to rest. 

The brother of the wives of the Heirs-Apparent of 
Eussia and England, — a son of the Sovereign of Denmark, 
had to-day newly arrived. He is a youth fourteen years 
of age, and has a rank in the naval service. His name is 
Valdemir. We made acquaintance with him also. He 
has come to see his sisters, and leaves again in two days. 

Sunday, 3rd (29th June). — To-day the weather is very- 
cloudy and foggy; heavy rain is also falling. After 
breakfast we mounted a carriage with the Mu'tamadu-'l- 
Mulk and (Lord) Morley, and took a little drive in Hyde 
Park. Although it was Sunday, and there was no one in 
the roads ; and notwithstanding that the rain was violent, 
— still we saw a goodly number of men and women. 

We now turned into the road to Chiswick, which we 
had gone over yesterday, and took our way to Richmond, 
passing by the side of the Botanical Garden (at Kew). 
There great numbers of people were walking about. It 
is a very large garden, but we did not go inside. It has 
a tall and slender tower within it, built after the Chinese 
fashion, and of many stories. It is a very pretty place ; 
but we saw it from afar. 

Well ; we went to Richmond, which stands on an emi- 
nence. Richmond is not a separate place ; in reality, it 
is one of the suburbs of London. It has some pleasant 
avenues, and a beautiful view over the surrounding 
country, — especially over the river Thames. On the 
lawns here, also, there were many deer of the kind we» 
saw at Windsor. 



1 88 Diary of a Totcr in Europe, [chap. iv. 

As rain was still falling, and it was impossible to go 
..about, it was proposed to proceed to the house of Lord 
Eussell, — one of the olden English Ministers of celebrity, 
which was near at hand. I experienced a desire to go. 
We went, alighted, and entered. He and his wife came 
to meet us. He is an old man, nearly eighty years of 
age. He is short of stature. In spite of his years, he is 
in possession of a fine intellect and understanding. He 
is of the Whig party. 

It is here necessary to detail what the Whigs are. All 
the Ministers of the realm of England are in two parties. 
The party now in office are of the Whigs, the chiefs of 
whom are Lord Gladstone, the present Prime Minister, 
and Lord Granville, the Secretary of State for Foreign 
Affairs, together with the other Ministers. The other 
party, who oppose the policy of this group, are named 
Tories, the chiefs of whom are Disraeli, Lord Derby, 
&nd others. Whenever the first-named set may go 
•out of office, the whole of the Ministers and others 
must be changed, and replaced by others from the latter 
party. 

Well ; we sat a while. De Beust, — the Austrian Am- 
bassador, and other diplomatists were there. After a few 
minutes we mounted again, and drove to the hotel of 
Eichmond, which is a very beautiful establishment. A 
few years ago it caught fire, and they have rebuilt it. 
The view was very fine, but the haze and clouds pre- 
vented its being seen properly. The rain fell unceasingly ; 
so we sat there a little, took some tea and fruit, and then 
drove home. 



chap, iv.] England. 189 

Monday, 4th (30th June). — When we arose in the morn- 
ing, the whole of the Tory Administration came to an 
audience. The Nazim of Bengal, with his son, was also 
present. Lord Russell, too, came, to whose house we 
went yesterday. Seymour (the Right Honourable Sir 
George Hamilton Seymour, G.C.B., G.C.H.), who, in 
the time of the late Emperor Nicholas of Russia, before- 
the Sebastopol war has caused a cessation of relations 
with Russia, was (Envoy Extraordinary and) Minister- 
Plenipotentiary at (St.) Peter (sburg), was also (admitted 
and) seen. In like manner, Lord Derby, Lord Malmes- 
bury, who had each formerly been Secretaries of State 
for Foreign Affairs, and are of the celebrities of the Tory 
Administration, had audiences. 

Next, some Indian merchants came, who had a sin- 
gular costume and appearance. Chiefs of the Armenians,, 
of the Jews, and of the Christians, and afterwards some 
other men — inhabitants of the Panj-Ab (the Five Rivers ; 
vulgarly, Punjab) in India, with others, came (also). 
Among these was Iskandar Ahmad, son of the late 
Sultan Ahmad Khan, the Afgan; and who had been a 
certain time with his father in Tehran. He is a smart 
youth, and a capital horseman. He said he had been 
several years in Russia, and he has been some time in 
England. He had changed his Afgan costume and 
turban for an English dress, and he came without his hat 
(on). His colour and complexion were sallow and pale. 

Well ; next came Lord Radcliffe (the Right Honourable 
Lord Viscount Stratford de Redcliffe, K.G., K.C.B.), so 
well known, and had an audience. He sat down, and we 



1 90 Diary of a Tour in Ettrope. [chap. iv. 

conversed much. This personage is one of the great 
diplomatists of Europe. He was for more than twenty 
years the English (Ambassador Extraordinary and) Mi- 
nister Plenipotentiary at Constantinople, where he exer- 
cised great influence. In the Sebastopol war he upheld 
the policy of England and opposed the Eussians. In the 
days of the first Napoleon even, when Qardan Khan 
(General Gardanne), — the French Envoy, left Persia, 
and the late Khaqan, Fath-'Ali Shah, of pious memory, 
xeceived the English, he had entered the service, though 
not in Persia. According to one's recollections of those 
times, he must be nearly eighty-five years old ; and still 
lie conversed with the utmost wisdom and knowledge. 
He suffers from gout. Were he not so afflicted, I am of 
opinion that he still is in possession of the judgment, 
intellect, and stamina for the English Government to 
confide important missions to him. 

When he left, we arose and performed our service of 
worship. This evening we have to go to the Crystal 
Palace, which is outside of the city of London, and where 
there are to be fireworks and hospitality. 

To-day, before seeing the Ministers and others, the 
English Fire Brigade came, and in the garden at the 
hack of our palace went through their exercise. They 
planted ladders, with the supposition that the upper floor 
of the palace was on fire; they mounted these ladders 
with perfect celerity and agility, and brought down people 
who were burnt, half-burnt, or unharmed, some taken up 
on their shoulders, and others let down by ropes made 
fast round their waists. They have invented a beautiful 



oHAr. iv.] England. 191 

means of saving men. But, the wonder is in this, that 
on the one hand, they take such trouble and originate 
such appliances for the salvation of man from death, 
when, on the other hand, in the armouries, arsenals, and 
workshops of Woolwich, and of Krupp in Germany, they 
contrive fresh engines, such as cannons, muskets, projec- 
tiles, and similar things, for the quicker and more multi- 
tudinous slaughter of the human race. He whose inven- 
tion destroys man more surely and expeditiously prides 
himself thereon, and obtains decorations of honour. 

Well; among the others came some English prize- 
fighters, and performed boxing. To box is to strike one 
another with the fists, which requires great skill and 
dexterity. But they wore on their hands a kind of large 
gloves stuffed with wool and cotton. Had they not worn 
these gloves, thej^ would have killed one another. It 
was very ludicrous and amusing. 

In the afternoon we mounted our carriage and drove to 
the Crystal Palace, in which building the first Exhibition 
took place, that was held eighteen or nineteen years ago, 
and the building is still standing. It took an hour to 
.arrive there ; but a heavy rain came on, which threw a 
deep gloom over the spirits of the people. In spite of 
this, however, great crowds of women and men were 
standing along our road, and greeted us. We arrived and 
alighted in front of the building. The Grand- Vazir, our 
princes and household officials, &c, were of the ■ party. 
In front of the building a tent was pitched. Prince 
Alfred, the lady-princesses, and nobles were waiting for us 
there ; and they had prepared fruit, ices, and the like. 



192 Diary of a Totir in Europe, [chap, iv; 

We tarried there a few minutes, until the Heir- Apparent 
of England, the Heir-Apparent of Bussia, their wives,, 
and others arrived. We then took the hand of the 
wife of the English Heir- Apparent, and entered the 
building. 

A wonderful assembly came in view. On each side of 
our path they had arranged chairs, on which beautiful 
women in splendid attire, with men, were seated in rows, 
leaving a space through which we were to pass, so that it 
was necessary to traverse the whole of them. 

The palace is of iron and crystal. It is so lofty and 
spacious that this evening forty thousand individuals 
came here with tickets. 

Well ; we went to the centre of the building, which has 
a lofty arcade. In the middle of the arcade there is a 
basin of water, made to represent natural rocks and 
mountains, with a beautiful fountain, from which water 
flowed plentifully. On the left hand side there was a gallery 
with steps to it, at the top of which was a balcony with 
many chairs arranged in it. I, the Heirs-Apparent, their 
wives, the lady-princesses, and the princes, all sat down 
there. The Duke of Cambridge was not present ; they 
said an attack of gout had seized him. 

Facing us there was a large organ, similar to the one 
in the Albert Hall. There were also a numerous 
orchestra and singers. They played; they sang; and 
such an assembly was there in that place, above and 
below, around and on all sides, seated on chairs, that 
one's eyes were dazzled. They brought me a double 
opera-glass, through which I looked. 



chap, iv.] England. 193 

Beyond the windows which were behind our back most 
charming fountains were playing. The wife of the Duke 
of Sutherland, with her daughter, was seated behind us. 
The Duke's daughter is extremely graceful. 

In front of us some English gymnasts performed their 
feats ; and wonderful tricks did they do, by way of leap- 
ing, springing, and hanging upon a rope, &c, which few 
could perform. They then brought out the gymnastic 
pillars of Persia, and performed pillar feats. 

After these a company of Japanese came forward, from 
little children, up to full-grown men and women, dressed 
in the costume of their own country. They performed 
some wonderful tours, at which one's senses became 
bewildered. For the most part they performed then- tricks 
with their feet. They lay down. They took a large 
wooden chest and caused it to spin about as they wished 
like a blade of grass, and threw it up into the air, whence 
it fell again on to the soles of their feet. One of them 
lay down on his back with his eyes blindfolded, and held 
upright, upon the soles of his feet, a very long ladder. 
A child of about ten years old went up to the top of this 
ladder, and there went through some feats. He threw 
some curious balls up into the air, and held in his hand 
a case with holes in it, so that the balls always fell into the 
holes of the case. Still continuing to lie similarly on his 
back, he took the fold of a door on his feet and spun it 
about in a manner that is not to be described. 

There was a stout and long rope suspended from the 
roof of the arcade to the ground, a height of forty ells 
(140 feet). Two or three English gymnasts, acting just 



194 Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap, i v. 

as they pleased, took hold of the rope, and with all 
celerity mounted to near the roof. There, standing on 
one foot, they leant on one side, and one of them came 
down head foremost. This was very surprising. 

Again, they had fastened ropes to the sides of the 
arcade, so that these hung down, and beneath them a 
rope netting was secured. One Englishman performed 
on these ropes in a manner that up to this day I had 
never seen or heard of. I will simply note it down that 
it was not a performance with ropes, — he performed magic, 
— he flew. For instance, he leapt ten ells (35 feet) from 
this trapeze to that trapeze which was suspended in the 
air ; and as a finish, he threw himself from his trapeze 
and fell into the net. 

The play being now concluded, the company broke up* 
"We went to- the top of the building and dined at a table 
where all the magnates and notables were. 

The garden of the Crystal Palace, which is the finest 
of all the gardens of England, was visible from this 
height ; and there were fountains in the gardens, in great 
numbers, each one of which sprang to a height of more 
than twenty ells (70 feet). The source of these jets is a 
lofty tower built in front of the door of the palace (by 
which visitors of distinction are admitted privately). 

Well; great numbers of people, with umbrellas over 
their heads, remained in the garden at the foot of the 
building, in spite of the rain, and shouted hurrahs. 

After dinner there were fireworks in the garden, — very 
fine fireworks; and they discharged a great number of 
bombs, out of which there issued stars of many colours. 



chap, iv.] England, 195 

The fireworks over, we came downstairs. They had 
arranged an electric apparatus like a telegraph wire ; and 
the instant that I put my hand to it, a large flight of 
rockets mounted from the garden into the air, which 
formed a grand spectacle. 

On our return we again took the hand of the wife of 
the Heir- Apparent, and went home. 

The beggars of Firangistan, instead of asking for 
alms, play musical instruments, as guitars or violins, 
and never beg. If some one gives them money, they 
take it ; if not, they gd on playing. 

In the garden at the back of our palace a great 
number of cock and hen pheasants were seen in the 
trees. 

There are multitudes of pigeons in Firangistan ; and, 
as in Persia, pigeon-fliers send them up. Especially in 
Belgium did we see many of them. 

They place sucklings and little children in small 
carriages (perambulators), and during the day-time 
wheel them about by hand in the avenues and on the 
lawns, in a very pretty manner ; and the children go to 
sleep in the carriages. 

We have received from the Duke of Sutherland four 
head of the deer which were feeding in his park, and 
which are a kind of argali, but resembling the stag. We 
have consigned them to Ibrahim Khan, that we may 
God willing, bring them to Tehran, and that they may 
breed and multiply. 

Tuesday, 5th (1st July). — To-day we have to visit the 
Bank, the Tower of London, the churches of St. Paul's 

02 



196 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. iv. 

and Westminster, as also the Houses of Parliament. In 
the morning,* therefore, having breakfasted, we mounted 
our carriage, drove to the city, entered it, and went to 
the Tower. The Chiefs of the locality were admitted to 
our presence. We went up into a very old and ancient 
turret in which was a large glass case with an iron 
railing round it. Several of the crowns of ancient 
English kings were within this, enriched with rare jewels ; 
more especially, in one crown there was a large ruby, 
exceedingly choice. There were staves (sceptres) of gold, 
and a few vessels of gold. A model of the diamond, the 
Kuh-i-nur (mountain of light), in crystal, had been made 
and placed there ; but the diamond itself has been cut 
into a brilliant in London, and the Sovereign has had 
it made into a brooch which she wears on her bosom. 
On the day when I went to Windsor to make my 
adieux, she wore it on her bosom. It is a very beautiful 
diamond. 

Well; as time was scant, we did not go into the 
armouries which are in this Tower ; but I drove to the 
church of St. Paul's. The head priest of that place was 
unwell, and was not present ; his substitute was there. 
We walked about in the church, which is a very lofty 
and ancient edifice. Many women and men were there. 
The people of celebrity interred in this church are as 
follows : Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington. . . . 

Coming out of there, we went to the Government 
Bank (Bank of England), passing by the Koyal Ex- 
change, — the Merchants' Mart. The merchants of 
renown of London, together with a crowd, were there. 



chap, iv.] England. 197 

We reached the gate of the Bank. The Governor of the 
Bank, with all the writers and members of this business, 
were present. We ascended some stairs. It is an 
imposing edifice. We saw its repository of archives, 
its council-chambers, — all. For the purpose of printing 
the receipt and assignat-papers (bank-notes, treasury- 
bonds, &c), for assaying the weights of gold and silver 
(coins), and for cutting up the light coins, they have 
beautiful machines and instruments, as also steam- 
engines; the whole of which we saw. Next, we inscribed 
our own name in their book; and from thence going 
downstairs, we went underground, where numerous 
ingots of gold and silver were seen, each ingot being (of 
the value) of two thousand tiimans of Persia (800L). 
There was existent in that place (the value of) three to 
four crores of money (1,200,0002. to 1,600,000L) 

Well ; returning thence, we went home. There were 
three curious things seen in that place. Firstly, — in 
each machine that prints the bank-notes, there were 
three (dials like those of) compasses, each with hands 
like those of a watch. For every number that was 
printed, these compasses, by the revolution of their 
hands, took and kept an account. At each movement 
given to the machine, one note came forth printed ; and 
a hand moved from subdivision to subdivision (of the 
dial). The reason of this is that no one may be able 
to purloin any from the number of bank-notes (printed). 

Secondly, — there were engines for trying and testing 
the weights of coins ; so that large quantities of gold 
coins flowed down a place similar to a spout, on each 



198 Diary of a Tour in Etirope. [chap. iv. 

side of which was a repository like a till, and every coin 
that was light of weight was made to fall, hy machinery, 
into one of those tills, while those of full and perfect 
weight fell into the other. 

Thirdly, — there were machines that cut in two, like 
shears, the coiils that were light of weight, throwing 
them out of circulation, so that they have to be reminted. 

Well; we went home, and rested a while. Then, 
mounting our carriage, we went to the house of Glad- 
stone, the Prime Minister. He had an elderly wife, 
and they both came to meet us. We gave our hand to 
his wife, and went upstairs. It had nice rooms. An 
exceedingly small basin of water, with fountains, was in 
the upper room, — very pretty. It had a nice outlook 
towards the Houses of Parliament and over the town. 
The Austrian Ambassador, the Ottoman Ambassador, 
the German Ambassador, and, of English grandees, 
Lord Granville — the Foreign Secretary, the wife of the 
Duke of Sutherland, and others, were present. We sat 
down a while, and then went to the Parliament-House. 

A description of this building, and an enumeration of 
its rooms, upper chambers, and corridors, is beyond the 
power of man. They say that a fabulous sum has been 
spent, in course of time, on this edifice. Its foundation 
is from eight hundred years ago ; but ten years pre- 
viously to the present time, they added very much to 
the pile. 

The Regulator of the assembly of the Lords, who is 
an old man of the name of Clifford (Sir A. C. Clifford, Bart.) 
went before us, and we visited the rooms one by one. 



chap, iv.] England. 199 

It is a very grand, solid, and majestic structure. In 
point of fact, so great a palace is worthy and seemly for 
the Parliament of England. We passed through a large 
hall, called the Waterloo Hall, in which were two large 
pictures, most beautifully painted, and hung on the two 
sides. One is of the battle of Trafalgar, formerly men- 
tioned in detail; the other, a representation of the 
meeting of Wellington with Marshal Blucher, Com : 
mander of the Prussian forces, and participator in the 
battle of Waterloo. After the rout of Napoleon on the 
field of Waterloo, the}*- met one another on horseback, 
shook hands, and offered mutual congratulations. 

Well ; we went into the chamber of the House of 
Lords, where the Peers were assembled. The number 
of Peers in this congregation is about one hundred 
{really, four hundred and eighty-one, barring recent 
changes). We sat a little while, rose, passed through 
rooms and corridors, and so reached the hall of the 
House of Commons, the number of whom is three 
hundred and fifty (then present, perhaps ; the total number 
being six hundred and fifty-eight, barring any subsequent 
changes). Lord Gladstone, Disraeli, and the other 
Ministers, Whig and Tory, were present. The Whigs 
were (seated) on one side (of the house), the Tories on 
the other side. We took our seat on a chair in a gallery 
overlooking the assembly, to which a narrow passage 
led. They brought forward a question, on which there 
was a difference of opinion. The President (Speaker) 
of the House adjudged according to the " majority," i.e> 
the greater number, the lesser number being called the 



200 Diary of a Totcr in Ettrope, [chap. iv. 

" minority." The whole of the members went forth, to 
be counted outside ; the (place of) assembly remained 
vacant, no one being left except the President. After a 
minute or so they came (back) ; the Whigs were the 
victorious party, who now hold office. Then Lord 
Gladstone — the Premier, came up to us, and we had a 
little conversation. 

Eising, we went to the church of Westminster (West- 
minster Abbey), which is near to the Parliament (House). 
It is a very grand, beautiful, and harmonious pile. Its 
structure is ancient, and all of stone. • It has a lofty and 
long- extending roof. Henry VIL, King of England, 
built a chapel, most magnificent, and contiguous to the 
great church, being like a royal balcony, with numerous 
sculptures in its roof and on its walls. The tomb of 
Henry himself is in that place, in the middle, and has a 
large iron railing. 

Of other sovereigns, of generals of celebrity, and even 
of poets, a great number are buried within this church. 
Its length is five hundred and thirty English feet ; its 
height, two hundred and twenty-five. The names of 
the other monarchs buried here are : Edward the Con- 
fessor, Henry III., Henry V., Henry VIL, Elizabeth, 
all the Sovereigns of the House of Stuart, and all those 
of the House of Hanover. Those of ministers are : 
Pitt, Fox, Eobert Peel, Lord Palmerston ; of generals, 
Outram, Lord Clyde. 

There was a very ancient throne in that place, seated 
upon which the English, monarchs must be crowned in 
this church. The stone of the patriarch Jacob — upon 



chap, iv.] England. 201 

whom be peace — is set in that throne. It is a large 
stone, upon which the patriarch Jacob slept ; and it came 
from Egypt to Europe ; i.e., passing from the hand (of 
one possessor) to the hand (of another possessor), it 
became the property of the monarchs of England. 

Well ; we returned and went home. 

In the Houses of Parliament there is a very important 
library, in which are the written reports of the ancient 
and modern debates of Parliament, the laws of England, 
and other matters, in separate volumes. 

Wednesday, 6th (2nd July). — We must go to Windsor 
to take leave of the Sovereign. 

We breakfasted at home. The Heir-Apparent of 
Eussia came, with whom we conversed ; for we are 
going awaj T , and he too, to-morrow, has to go to one of 
the English seaports ; i.e., he has ordered a yacht for 
himself, which is now ready, and which is about to be 
launched. 

After his departure we set out for Windsor, all the 
princes, the Grand- Vazir, and others, being in attend- 
ance. We -arrived at Windsor ; the Sovereign came to 
the foot of the stairs to meet us. We took each other's 
hands and went upstairs. She led me, and took me 
round all the apartments of the palace. It has very 
sumptuous rooms and halls ; the view towards the city 
of London and over the country is very fine. There is a 
pretty flower-garden at the foot of the building, towards 
the country ; also an extensive library. We saw some 
books in the Persian language and characters ; in par- 
ticular, a history of India, written like a diary, and very 



■202 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. iv. 

beautifully illuminated in the Indian style. There was 
also a magnificent armoury, in which all the ancient 
weapons and armour that have been obtained from India 
and elsewhere are preserved in glass cases ; also some 
objects of jewellery and gold, as, for instance, the royal 
throne and the jewelled saddle of Tipu Sahib (read 
Tipu Sa'ib), the Indian, which were set with many 
precious stones. In like manner there were great 
quantities of ancient arms and armour in the European 
styles, of presents from sovereigns, and of similar 
objects, arranged in the rooms ; — a very large vase of 
malachite sent by Nicholas, the Emperor of Eussia ; the 
musket-ball that killed Lord Nelson in the battle of 
Trafalgar, and that had been extracted from his body, 
was preserved in a case ; the mast of the veiy ship in 
which Lord Nelson was, and which a cannon-shot had 
pierced through, together with several of those cannon- 
balls, were in one of the rooms, and were surrounded 
with a railing; some Kussian cannon-balls, also, taken 
in the Sebastopol war ; two soldiers' muskets with flint 
locks, as used by the Kussian troops, and serving as spe- 
cimens, were placed there likewise. A bust of Nelson, 
carved in stone, was placed on the half-mast of a ship, 
pierced by a cannon-ball. Two cannons sent as pre- 
sents by Kanj it- Singh were also there. In the halls were 
painted the portraits of the sovereigns and ministers of 
celebrity in the times of the first Napoleon, who were 
called " The Holy Alliance." 

When we had strolled about a considerable time, we 
went into a room and sat down at a table, I being there, 



chap, iv.] England. 203 

and the Sovereign, her youngest daughter, and Prince 
Leopold, who to-day again had come to the station to 
meet me, and who was dressed in the Scotch garb. He 
is a very nice prince. After partaking of a little fruit, 
we arose, and the Sovereign conducted me to the door 
of a room assigned to me, and went away. I gave my 
reflexion (photograph) to the Sovereign as a souvenir; 
she gave me hers, and that of Prince Leopold. In truth, 
from my first arrival on English soil, down to this very 
day, the Sovereign has exercised towards us the fulness 
of kindness and friendship. 

We now descended, took the Sovereign's hand, and 
went down to the door of the carriage ; there saying 
adieu, we seated ourselves in the carriage. The 
Sovereign expressed her desire that her special photo- 
grapher should take our likeness in the carriage; and 
he took several negatives of us. Then we drove off. 

Proceeding a short distance along the avenue, we 
changed our direction and went to the house of the 
Princess Helena, daughter of the Sovereign and wife of 
Prince Christian, one of the princes of Holstein in 
Germany, whose territories are now held by Prussia, 
though he still makes a claim thereto, and may perhaps 
one day obtain possession of them. Well; we arrived at 
the Prince's house, and sat there a while. He has a 
beautiful house and flower-garden. 

After partaking of some fruit we drove to the mauso- 
leum of Prince Albert, the Sovereign's husband. It was 
a long way off. We passed by the side of the tomb of 
the Duchesse.de Quint (Duchess of Kent), the Sovereign's 



204 Diary of a Tour ill Europe, [chap. iv. 

mother, and at length arrived at the mausoleum of 
(Prince) Albert. We alighted and went to the tomb, 
which is very imposing and in good taste, built of stones 
of various colours. The sarcophagus is of stone, and a 
figure of Prince Albert himself lying in death, of very 
beautiful marble, is placed upon the sarcophagus. I 
laid on the tomb a nosegay which I had in my hand. I 
became extremely dejected and full of sadness. 

Coming out from thence, we mounted and drove off. 
Everywhere Prince Leopold accompanied us. All these 
parts are occupied by the hothouses for flowers and 
fruits, the kitchen-garden for vegetables, the orchards, 
the fields for cows, and the dairies for taking the milk 
and butter, for the Sovereign's use. We alighted and 
planted a mountain cypress (perhaps, a cedar or welling- 
tonia) as a memorial of ourselves. We then drove to 
the station, bid adieu to Prince Leopold, returned to 
London, and went home. 

A short repose soon enabled us to set out again and 
drive to Madame Tussaud's Exhibition. Madame Tus- 
saud was a woman, and has now been dead for twenty 
years, having left a son and grandson. She originated 
a place in which are arranged the effigies in wax of 
monarchs, of men of celebrity, and of great poets, ancient 
and modern, clothed in the very garments of the persons 
themselves or of their periods, whether they were men 
or women, even to artificial jewels, such as crowns, neck- 
laces, finger-rings, and the like. These figures are 
arranged in rooms and halls, in standing or sitting pos- 
tures, &c, in such a manner that there is no possibibrty 



chap, iv.] England. 205 

for one to distinguish whether they are human beings or 
wax figures. Well ; the son of Madame Tussaud was 
unwell, and her grandson explained. 

They have made a figure of Napoleon III., dressed in 
his own clothes and lying on a bed in the agony of 
death, such that it appears exactly like a man still alive, 
but moribund. There were some living women sitting 
about among the figures ; and however much I tried to 
distinguish which were in reality human beings, and 
which were wax figures, I could not, until the women 
rose, walked, and smiled; then alone did it become 
certain that they were living women. The effigy of the 
present Sovereign of England, those of her children, and 
of the ministers, were all there ; also that of Louis- 
Philippe, and of the Heir- Apparent of France, with his 
mother Eugenie. They were excellent figures. 

In addition to the effigies of sovereigns and great 
men, they have also taken, in a very striking manner, 
the likenesses of certain individuals, assassins or repro- 
bates, notorious throughout the world for their diabolic 
acts and wickedness, such as Orsini, — who attempted to 
kill the third Napoleon, and Mazzini, the Italian. 

They had bought in France a galloivs, on which, by 
hanging, they put people to death, and placed it here to 
show the manner of killing men. They said that with 
this gallows-tree nearly twenty thousand individuals had 
been executed. (Evidently the guillotine is meant. — 
J. W. K.) 

There were also, besides these, in a room, numerous 
mementos of bygone days. A large number of effects 



206 Diary of a Tcntr in Etirope. [chap, iv. 

that had belonged to the first Napoleon were there, such 
as the carriages captured by the English in the battle of 
Waterloo ; so that we saw the very carriage in which 
Napoleon used to ride, and also a plan of battle traced 
by himself, the whip used by his coachman on the day of 
Waterloo, his cloak, and some of his garments. There 
were likewise various effects that had belonged to certain 
sovereigns or magnates of England and elsewhere, in 
ancient or modern times. 

We then came away. Below this exhibition there is 
an extensive bazaar, in which they sell every kind of wares 
that can be imagined. We walked about there a little, 
bought some articles of crystal and the like, and, return- 
ing thence home, retired to rest. 

Thursday, 1th (3rd July). — To-day, after breakfasting 
at home, we went to the Crystal Palace. We drove to 
the Yictoria Station, took our seat in a train, and 
started. The railway looked down on the roofs of the 
houses, — not in one place, not in two places ; the train 
went uninterruptedly either over the housetops or through 
" holes " in hills. It took us twenty minutes to reach 
the Crystal Palace Station. There we alighted and 
walked upstairs, where there were innumerable women 
and men. We bought a few photographs and the like. 
The dealers in this bazaar are all women. Articles of 
every description are there to be had. The following is 
the history of this building. 

Twenty years ago, when the English Government 
made the first Exhibition-Bazaar in Hyde Park, which is 
in the town of London, some members of the Committee, 



chap, iv.] England. 207 

when it was over, brought the building here, where it is 
outside of the town, set it up again in the same manner,, 
and established within it a perpetual exhibition, with 
refreshment-rooms, building also places of recreation for 
the inhabitants of London ; and arranging fountains, 
basins, parks, gardens, and everything that can amuse 
.people. It is now the very best of all places of pastime 
in London. Every day seven or eight thousand indi- 
viduals go there for amusement or for taking the air, 
without any intermission ; and they who originated the 
enterprize derive a profit therefrom. 

Well ; after making our purchases, we walked through 
the assembled women and men. I saw some black 
women, of the natives of the Jamaica islands (mulattoes 
from the West Indies), who were very graceful, and who 
had husbands as well. In spite of their black faces,, 
with which they were seated in the midst of the fair and 
rosy-cheeked women of England, they still, through a 
certain sweetness they had, were very coquettish. Their 
complexions were of the colour of raw coffee-berries, and 
they had beautiful curls. 

Well ; after getting past, we arrived at a place where 
an African maned-lion and a tiger of India were fighting* 
one another, and a dead stag was lying beneath them. 
All three of these animals, formed out of the stuffed 
skins of the very beasts themselves, were arranged in 
such a manner, and so made to stand up, that there was 
no way to distinguish them from a live lion, a live tiger, 
and a dead stag. Their claws with which they had 
attacked one another, and the blood that had flowed,. 



208 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. iv. 

were as though the flesh of their bodies were torn and 
blood were flowing. So well was this group executed, 
that in ten days one would not become tired of con- 
templating it. We now went to a department where 
they have arranged an imitation of the palace Al-Hamra 
(the Ked Palace, ot which the word Alhambra is the 
Spanish corruption), built by the Arabs during the time 
of their occupation of Andalusia and Toledo in Spain. 
I examined it. It is very good and very pretty. They 
have there done some nice work in plaster and glazed 
tiles. This department took fire a few years ago, and 
was burnt. They have now restored it again as it was at 
first, though it was not quite finished. They have done 
the plaster- work, &c. ; but the jDlaster-work of this 
country is not carried out by the same method as in 
Persia. There, the whole of a piece of plaster-work is 
cut out by hand with great labour ; here, they have made 
moulds of glue which have various designs upon them ; 
and whichever pattern they require, thej^ place the mould 
thereof on the surface of a sheet of plaster, which 
instantly takes the design and dries ; it is then fixed 
on the wall as though it were a tile. It is furnished with 
basins and pretty fountains arranged in the Arabian 
taste. 

We now went on to the aquarium, descending by some 
steps to a place underground, a long hall, roofed, with a 
cool, pleasant atmosphere. Various lands of marine 
animals and plants were in it, as in the one at Berlin ; 
but at Berlin the species of fishes and of some other 
things were in greater numbers than here. 



chap, iv.] England. :o 

Again we ascended, passed through the people, went 
up the stairs we had mounted on the night of the fire- 
works, admired the garden and the fountains, and then 
again went through the garden to see two balloons that 
were to ascend into the air with men in them. We 
walked a great distance on foot, through multitudes of 
women, men, and policemen, arriving at length at the 
end of the garden, where the two balloons, of immense 
size, were already inflated with vapour and prepared to 
ascend ; so that there was no power to restrain them. 
They are made of a cloth of silk, on which something is 
applied to make it like wax-cloth, and to give it strength. 
There is also a kind of network over the balloon, formed 
of several cords knitted together like a fisherman's net ; 
and beneath the balloon a basket is arranged in which 
people sit, and large enough to hold two or three men. 

With the first balloon to start, a man named Smithe, 
with another named Evenau, took their seats and went 
up into the air, and were lost to sight. The second 
balloon was also full and ready. A son of Smithe, — a 
young man, who said he had already been up with his 
father a hundred and seventy times, ascended in this 
one. On the following day, when intelligence was 
brought, it was learnt that the first balloon had descended 
at a distance of ten leagues from London, and the second 
at a distance of one league. 

We then turned back on foot to the basins and foun- 
tains. The people were crowded together in such a 
manner as to prevent one's seeing. We did however 
manage, in one way or other, to see all the basins For 

p 



2 1 o Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. iv. 

our return to the palace they had made ready a carriage, 
in which we took our seat. Now, in spite of our road's 
being uphill, and of our driving pretty fast, still, the 
ladies, the damsels, and the children all kept pace with 
the carriage, and not one remained behind. 

Once more we mounted to the top of the building, 
partook of some fruit, had our photograph taken, and 
then descending, went to the train, seated ourselves, and 
returned home. 

After resting awhile, we drove to the Albert Hall ; but 
the machines were not at work. We therefore went to 
some halls, where they had made a collection of all the 
tobacco-pipes, hubble-bubbles, and drinking utensils of 
every nation, together with all kinds of silken stuffs of 
China, Japan, and Europe, &c, ancient and modern. 
Having viewed these, we went up from that place to see 
the pictures which people, during the three months the 
exhibition remains open, bring and hang up here, some 
for sale, others merely on view. We examined the 
whole ; but the greater part of the more beautiful pieces 
were either sold alreacty, or were not to be sold at all. 
We selected about ten or fifteen fine paintings, Ismit 
Sahib (Major E. M. Smith, E.E., Acting Director of the 
Persian Telegraph) interpreted for me. 

The picture of a donkey was seen, and I asked the 
price of it. The Director of the Exhibition, a fat, white- 
bearded man, who gave information about the prices, 
told me it was a hundred pounds sterling, — equivalent to 
two hundred and fifty tumans of Persia. I remarked : 
" The value of 5 live donkey is at the outside five 



chap, iv.] England. 211 

pounds. How is it then, that this, which is but a picture 
of an ass, is to be paid so dearly for ? " The Director 
said : " Because it is not a source of expense, as it eats 
neither straw nor barley (the eastern substitutes for hay 
and oats)." I replied: "True; it is not a source of 
outlay ; but neither will it carry a load, or give one a 
ride." We laughed heartily. Then, as time was short, 
and we were extremely fatigued, we went home. The 
Albert Hall, too, has its own special garden, very nice. 

Friday, 8th (4th July). — After breakfast this morning, 
I went to pay a visit to the English Heir- Apparent. The 
wives of the two Heirs-Apparent, Russian and English, 
with Prince Alfred, too, were there. We sat a while, and 
then we came back home. After an interval we went to 
St. Thomas's Hospital, which is opposite the Houses of 
Parliament. This hospital has been built by the nation. 
It was founded in the time of Edward IV., and it is now 
two or three years since it was completed. It possesses 
property held in mortmain ; and from the time of its 
foundation till now people, of their own free will, have 
collected money and given it for the sustentation of the 
hospital ; for the medicine and food of the whole of the 
patients is gratis. It is a very beautiful building, and 
there are always in it four or five hundred patients, men 
and women, children or adults. Dr. Tholozan, too, 
was present. The Director of the Sanitary Board of 
London, whose name is Simon (J. Simon, Esq., Medical 
Officer, Local Government Board), together with other 
London physicians and surgeons of repute, were also 
there. The little children had each a separate bed and 

p 2 



212 Diary of a Tour in Ettrope. [chap. iv. 

lied clothes, with nice clean garments ; to each one, for 
the purpose of amusement, playthings and pretty things, 
that had been collected, were given. As attendants, 
many women were there. 

We went to other wards where the men were. In 
spite of their ailments, they shouted loudly their hurrahs. 

On the lower floor they have appliances, by which, 
having placed a sick man on a bed, they lift him to the 
upper stories without his having to move. The first 
stone of the building of this hospital was laid by the 
Sovereign. 

We next proceeded to the residence of Lord Dargil 
(the Duke of Argyll), Secretary for India. His house 
was at a distance. We went through Hyde Park, &c. r 
and arrived there. The wife of the Indian Secretaiy y 
who is the sister of the Duke of Sutherland, and an 
elderly woman', together with a daughter of the Sove- 
reign, who is the wife of the son of the Indian Secretary, 
came forward. Having shaken hands and strolled a 
space in the garden, we went into a room, sat down to 
table, and ate some fruit. The Duke of Sutherland was 
also of the party. We then went down into the garden, 
where a tent was pitched, in which we took a seat. 
A Scotch individual, in the Scotch garb, came and for a 
while played the pipe and drone (bagpipes). Another 
individual in the Scotch garb, danced a Scotch dance. 
He arranged four swords on a round board, and for a 
time danced about the swords. 

An individual of celebrity, whose name is Viteston 
(Sir Charles Wheatstone, F.R.S.), has invented a kind 



chap, iv.] England. 



of telegraph, such that when, for instance, you converse 
by its means from London to Tehran, the sentence 
becomes printed upon paper, and can be read with perfect 
facility. They had set one up in the garden ; we went 
and saw it in operation. 

We then returned, and alighted in Hyde Park at a 
structure which the Sovereign has reared to the memory 
of her husband (Prince) Albert, which we inspected. It 
is all of stone and has upon it most beautiful sculptures, 
in which they have represented the celebrities, the poets, 
and the painters of the world, and others, in stone ; the 
reason being that (Prince) Albert himself was a man of 
science and of art. The crowd, however, prevented us 
from examining it properly; so we turned away, mounted 
our carriage, went home, and in the evening drove to the 
theatre of Drulelam (Drury-Lane Theatre). 

In the streets the crowds were prodigious. We reached 
the Theatre, where the Heir- Apparent of England had 
also come. He met me, and gave me his hand. We 
went up into jn, box near the stage and took our seats. 
Prince Alfred came also. There was an opera, and also 
a ballet. They sang and danced charmingly. The 
dancers were graceful and prettily dressed. The theatre 
has five tiers of seats. It is somewhat small, but very 
pretty. There was a young woman, a celebrated singer, 
of the name of Nelson (Nielson), from Sweden, whom 
the Heir- Apparent caused to be sent up, and with whom 
some conversation was had. She was very loquacious 
and shrewd. She goes every year to the theatres of (St.) 
Peter (sburg), the New World, &c, and makes a large 



214 Diary of a Tour m Europe, [chap. iv. 

income. She is now married to a Frenchman of the 
name of Gousseau. 

The play over, we passed, in returning home, by St. 
James's Palace. The palace is an ancient building; and 
the Court of England is still designated as the Court of 
St. James. The Sovereign used formerly to sit there 
in state (at drawing-rooms) ; but since the death of her 
husband she has never gone there. At present, the 
mother of the Duke of Cambridge is held to reside there. 
We reached home. 

Yesterday the Sani'u-'d-Dawla left to go to Paris, in 
order to arrange our halting-places and the like. 

Well ; had we the wish to write as they deserve all the 
particulars of the city of London or of all England, we 
should have to write a voluminous Histoiy of England ; 
but during a stay of only eighteen days in London it 
really has not been possible to write more than we have 
done. In justice (we can but say that), the demeanour 
of the English, and everything of theirs, is extremely 
well regulated and governed, and admirable. In respect 
to populousness, the wealth of the people, the commerce, 
the arts, business, and dolce far niente, they are the 
chief of all nations. 

Saturday, 9th (5th July). — To-day we have to go to 
the seaport of Cherbourg, in France. In the morning 
early I arose from sleep. During these eighteen days of 
our stay in London, every day has been cloudy. Many 
purchases, too, have been made in London. 

Well ; the Heir- Apparent of England, Lord Granville, 
— the Foreign Secretary, Lord Sarni (Lord Sydney?), 



chap, iv.] England. 215 

Prince Alfred, Prince Arthur, and others came. We 
mounted a carriage and drove for the station. Large 
crowds were present, showing great regret. It was 
evident that the people of England were all sorry and 
grieved in their hearts at our departure. We arrived at 
the Victoria Station, where the Heir-Apparent took 
leave and returned. Prince Alfred, however, with Prince 
Arthur and the Grand- Vazir, took seats in our car. 
The son of the Hakimu-'l-Mamalik remained behind in 
London to study. 

We started for the seaport town of Portsmouth, the 
journey occupying three hours, or less. But on our 
arrival (in England) we did not travel by this road. In 
(point of) proximity the (proper) port (for proceeding 
from London to the continent) is connected with our 
former route. The following are among the towns and 
populous places through which we passed : Mitcham, 
Epsom, Dorking, Horsham, Arundel, Chichester. 

We reached the seaport town, where crowds were 
collected. They fired guns from the forts and ships. 
The Admiral-in- Chief resident there, Reaucham Seymur 
(Rear-Admiral Frederick Beauchamp Paget Seymour, 
C.B.), received us; after which we went on board a 
French ship, — a vessel named " L'Aigle," which had 
belonged to Napoleon III., he having ordered it to be 
built as a yacht for himself; but now that a republic has 
come about, its name has been changed, and they have 
called her " Rapide." She is a beautiful ship. 

We breakfasted. M. Nicholas — the French Inter- 
preter, together with the interpreter Biberstein, M. 



2 1 6 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. if. 

Meline— newly-appointed French Envoy to Tehran, M. 
Bel — lately French Charge d'Affaires in Tehran, M. Blie 
— captain of the ship, and the other naval officers, were 
received in audience. A few minutes later the ship 
started on the voyage. The direct, best, and nearest 
route is that by the port of Dover, in England, to Calais, 
a French port, which is a sea voyage of only one 
hour and a half; whereas, by this route from Ports- 
mouth to Cherbourg, the sea voyage is of eight hours' 
duration. 

Well ; there was another ship behind us, in which our 
household and the rest were embarked. Four large 
English ships of war, too, were on both sides of us as (a 
convoy of) honour. As soon as we got to sea the waves 
arose; the weather, too, was cloudy and hazy. Every 
one became so unwell that not an individual could either 
walk about or sit down. They all fell prostrate. I my- 
self became so ill that I went and lay down until we 
arrived near to the port of Cherbourg. Eight tillers 
(sail) of French men-of-war came out to mid-channel to 
meet us. They fired many guns. The English ships, 
too, having fired guns, consigned us to the French and 
returned. 

We arrived at our port by the time of sunset, the ship 
dropped anchor, all became quiet, and we had dinner. 

French officials, as here below detailed, came onboard : 
Vice-Admiral Penhoat, — Marine Prefect of the town of 
Cherbourg, Vice-Admiral Begnaud, — Naval Commander- 
in-Chief, General Dumoulin, — Commanding-in-Chief 
the forces at Cherbourg, M. Vaultier, — Prefect of the 



CHAP. IV.] 



England. 



217 



Department of La Manche, M. Larnac, — Prefect of the 
town of Cherbourg ; as also other officials, adjutants, &c, 
military and naval ; who were received in audience and 
returned. On board the men-of-war a beautiful illumi- 
nation and exhibition of fireworks took place. 

1 The Persian word "padshah," rendered by "Sovereign" in this work, 
applies to Emperors, Kings, or Queens equally. There is no exact 
-equivalent for either in Persian. — J. W. E. 





CHAPTEE V. 

FRANCE, GENEVA; 19 DAYS. 

UNDAY, 10th (6th July),— To-day we have to 
reach Paris. We rose early in the morning, 
went down into a boat, and pushed off for 
the shore. The weather was very cold. We 
arrived at the landing, — a very handsome flight of steps. 
A very pretty and choice triumphal arch had been erected 
also, of flowers and shrubs, bunches of flowers, chande- 
liers and the like, various devices with weapons — such as 
pistols, muskets, lance -heads, &c. In truth, they had 
displayed talent. 

We went up the steps ; a numerous assemblage of 
officials, military, naval, and civil, national guards, 
Government clerks, and the like, were drawn up in 
ranks; and the Prefect of La Manche presented the 
whole. I, too, inquired after their healths. And thus 
we reached the train and took our seats in a carriage, 
which had yet to wait a little. 

The majority of the women and men in France are 
small made and attenuated of limb ; they are not like the 
inhabitants of Russia, Germany, and England, but more 
resemble the people of the East. 

The fortifications of Cherbourg are very strong. Facing 



chap, v.] France, Geneva. 219 

the sea, it has turrets and batteries of great power ; 
and on the land side also, it has its works and a wide 
ditch always full of water. The capture of this city by 
force would be a very difficult matter. The town is 
not so very large, but it has a population of more than 
thirty-seven thousand souls. It is an excellent harbour* 
The commencements of the forts date from the clays of 
the first Napoleon ; they were completed in the time of 
Napoleon III., but some work is still going on. 

Well; our train started. To-day we traversed the 
province of Normandy, — a beautiful countiy, abounding 
with produce. Extensive meadows, trees, flowers, grass, 
in abundance were there. Beautiful oxen, mares, sheep, 
are kept in great numbers, by reason of the plentiful 
pasturages which they possess. We saw quantities of 
shrubs and of tamarisk-trees, which cause it to resemble 
Persia. To-day I saw the greater part of the flowers and 
trees of Persia in these parts, such as the willow, the 
"tabiizi", the tamarisk, and others. The surface of 
the soil hereabouts is all up-hill and down- dale, with 
many peaks. The apples of the province are famous for 
their good quality ; and we saw large numbers of apple- 
trees. 

Well; we reached the city of Caen, the capital of 
Normandy. We stopped there half an hour, when break- 
fast was taken. It is a very pretty town. After leaving 
it, we passed through many " holes in mountains," one 
of them being about a league in length. During the 
transit (through these), one feels a very suffocating kind 
of sensation about the heart. From Cherbourg to Paris 



220 Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap. v. 

the journey by rail occupies eight hours, and the distance 
is ninety leagues. At about an hour to sunset we arrived 
in the environs of Paris ; we passed over the river Seine 
by a bridge that is outside the city, and so entered into 
the capital. Thence, taking the line of railway that goes 
all round the city within the continuous walls, we reached 
the quarter named Passy, where the whole of the present 
Government and leading men of France, together with a 
crowd of spectators, were awaiting us. 

The Sani'u-'d-Dawla, Marshal MacMahon — the pre- 
sent Chief of the French Government, the Duke de 
Broglie — the newly appointed Minister of Foreign 
Affairs, other officials, ministers, &c, were at the station. 
We alighted ; compliments passed with the Marshal and 
the Foreign Minister. There was an avenue that they 
had carpeted and greatly ornamented. We walked a 
certain distance on foot, and the Marshal presented the 
commanders, the military officers, and others, until we 
reached a carriage, in which we took our seat with the 
Grand-Vazir, the Marshal, and the Minister for Foreign 
Affairs. Our suite, too, were seated in other carriages. 
We started, and a volley of cannon was fired. From that 
place to the Corps Legislatif, our appointed quarters, on 
both sides of the road were posted infantry of the line, 
cavalry, and gens-d'armes, all in beautiful uniforms. 
Behind the ranks of the troops crowds of spectators were 
standing. We passed through the Bois de Boulogne, 
which is outside of the fortifications ; again entered the 
enceinte of the city ; went along the Avenue de la Grande 
Armee, and arrived at the Arc de Triomphe, which is one 



chap, v.] France, Geneva. 221 

of the grand structures of the first Napoleon, is built of 
stone, and on it are sculptured, within, without, and 
all round, the battles of that leader. It is a very impos- 
ing pile ; but in the late wars with Prussia, great damage 
has been done to it by cannon-balls. 

The interior of the Arc de Triomphe was carpeted, 
chairs were placed there, and much ornamentation had 
been achieved. Here we alighted and sat a while. The 
Governor of the city, a fat man and bulky, named M. 
Duval, came with the " Kalantar " (mayor), and made a 
speech, to which we replied. Several persons charged to 
represent the Deputies of the city of Paris came also and 
made a speech, which we answered. We then rose, re- 
mounted our carriage, and entered the avenue of the 
Champs Elysees, which is very spacious and pleasing. 
On both sides of all these avenues through which we 
passed they have planted handsome trees, and built 
beautifully-grand houses. And so we reached the Place 
de la Concorde, where they have erected a lofty obelisk 
brought from Egypt. This is a charming public place, 
having two basins of water with fountains. The fountains 
do not always play ; but whenever they wish, they cause 
them to flow. Passing by a bridge over the Seine, we 
entered the edifice which they have assigned to us. At 
the foot of the steps of this edifice M. Buffet, — the actual 
President of the National Assembly, together with some 
of the Deputies, made a speech based on congratulations 
for our arrival ; and we replied thereto. 

We went upstairs. It has rooms and halls spacious 
and very handsome. The bedstead which they had pre- 



222 Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap. v. 

pared for us, was the bedstead of the first Napoleon at 
the time when he espoused Marie Louise, daughter of the 
Sovereign of Austria. 

To-day we noticed a singular frame of mind in the 
French. First of all, they still keep up the state of 
mourning that followed the German war, and they are all, 
young or old, sorrowful and melancholy. The dresses of 
the women, ladies, and men, are all dresses used for mourn- 
ing ; with little ornamentation, and very plain. Now and 
then some of the people shouted: "Vive le Marechal," 
" Vive le Schah de Perse ; " from another one I heard, 
as I strolled about by night, a loud voice saying : " May 
his reign and rule be firm and enduring." From the 
whole of these (circumstances) it becomes evident that 
there are at present in France numerous parties who 
desire a monarchy ; but they are in three sections, one 
desiring the son of Napoleon, another the dynast}^ of 
Louis-Philippe, and the third Henry the Fifth, who is of 
the Bourbon family ; and although this and the family of 
Louis-Philippe are really one race, they have distinctions. 
The wishers for a republic, on the other hand, have great 
power ; but they are not all of one mind. Some are for 
n Ked Kepublic, which is a fundamental commonweal. 
Others are for a moderate republic, in which monarchical 
institutions shall be found, without a monarch's existing. 
Others again wish otherwise. Among all these diversities 
of opinion it is now a very difficult matter to govern, and 
the consequences of these incidents will surely eventuate 
in many difficulties, unless that all combine on one plan 
and establish either a pure monarchy or a pure republic. 






chap, v.] France, Geneva. 



Then, France is the most powerful of States, and all 
must take her into their calculations ; whereas, with all 
these dissidences it is a difficult matter for her to preserve 
her institutions. 

Well ; the troops drawn up to-day in line were nearly 
twenty thousand in number. This edifice which is 
allotted to us as our residence, was formerly the Council- 
House, i.e., the House for the meeting of the Deputies 
of the nation. Since the expulsion of the third Napoleon 
from the sovereignty, and the establishment of a re- 
public in France, the Deputies and the Government have 
all gone to Versailles, and have left the city of Paris 
entirely void of the governmental administrations. The 
-city of Paris is now in reality the property of the 
peasantry and common people, who do whatever they 
like, as. the Government has no adequate means of re- 
pression. The palace of the Tuileries, which was the 
finest building in the world, is now a mass of ruins, as 
the men of the Commune set fire to it. Nothing remains 
of the palace but its walls. We were sadly grieved for 
this ; but, thanks be to God, the palace of the Louvre, 
which adjoins that of the Tuileries, has been saved and 
is not destroyed. 

The Hotel- de-Ville, one of the fine buildings of the 
world, and the Palace of the Legion of Honour, were 
entirely burnt. The column of the Place Vendome, 
which the first Napoleon cast out of the materials of the 
enemy's guns, and on which he set up his own statue, 
pourtraying all his wars around the same, has been 
broken up by the Commune, and carried away, so that 



224 Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap. v. 

nothing of it remains but the block that was the base of 
the column. 

Paris is a beautiful and graceful city, with a delicious 
climate. It generally enjoys sunshine, thus much re- 
sembling the climate of Persia. 

In the evening we mounted a carriage and drove about 
the city with the Mu'tamadu-'l-Mulk and General Arture.. 
We passed through the Hue de Rivoli and the Boulevard 
Sevastopol, — well-known thoroughfares, through the 
Place Vendome, and by the palace of the Tuileries, near 
to certain bazaars and the like. The lamps of the cit}- 
are all illuminated with gas ; so that it is a very bright,, 
beautiful, and charming city. Numbers of people were 
seated in carriages and driving about ; or, seated in the 
cafes and similar places, were enjoying themselves. 

The river Seine is not like the river Thames. It has 
less width and less water. Large ships cannot navigate it. 

Within our palace there is a pretty little garden, with 
a basin of water and a fountain of porphyry in three 
stages. A tent, too, has been erected there. From 
here one can go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which 
has been assigned as quarters for our princes. It is a 
grand and beautiful building, where formerly the depart- 
ment of the Minister for Foreign Affairs was located. It 
has a very pretty flower-garden ; and a small fountain 
throws up its water. The upper floor of our palace 
possesses a handsome bath-room, which I admired ex- 
ceedingly, and which is supplied with hot and cold water, 
so that in whichever way one wishes to have it, there is 
no difficult}'. 



chap, v.] France, Geneva. 225 

Monday, 11th (7th July). — After breakfast we mounted 
our carriage and set out for a drive about town. We 
passed along a street named Parc-Monceau — a veiy 
beautiful street, by a very pretty flower-garden, and 
arrived at the Arc de Triompbe, going from thence to- 
wards the Bois de Boulogne, where we first visited the 
Jardin d' Acclimatisation. Here we alighted and entered 
the garden. There were some flowers ; and there was 
a place built up of rocks, like a natural mountain. 
Passing by these, we came to the park for wild 
animals, and for birds. They had prepared nettings of 
wire around rooms, and within these they had set up 
trees and introduced water for the use of the animals 
and birds. We here saw various kinds of birds 
and of parrots from the New World, Africa, India, 
and Australia. There were also monkeys and other 
things. There is an animal called the kangaroo, that 
is found in Australia, — very similar to the jerboa. It 
is a singular thing ; it jumps swiftly, but cannot 
walk. Its fore-legs are short, its hind-legs long. It 
must jump always. It is of the size of a large jackaL 
The female has a pouch on the lower part of her 
belly, where she puts her young after they are born, 
and so jumps and runs about. They are very swift 
runners. 

There were some very curious pheasants, with beau- 
tiful plumage, of all colours, that we saw also. There 
were likewise two elephants on which litters were 
arranged, and so women and children rode about on 
them. There was also a droshka in which a man was 

Q 



226 Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap, t 

seated, harnessed to an ostrich, which drew it about 
easily, having the strength of a small horse. 

After a long stroll, we went to the aquarium, which 
resembled those of other countries, but was very circum- 
scribed and of no account. The Director of these 
gardens and plants is (M.) Drouin de l'Huys, who for- 
merly, in the time of Napoleon, was Minister of Foreign 
Affairs. He was not himself present, but was repre- 
sented by his substitute (M.) Geoffroy de Saint- Hilaire, 
who pointed out to us the plants, and other objects. 

We now mounted again and went for a drive in the 
Bois de Boulogne, where there was an island in the 
midst of a piece of water. We got into a boat and went 
there. A military officer chanced to be present on the 
island, who gave us some account of the circumstances 
of the war, and pointed out to us where cannon-shot 
and musket-balls had struck the trees. The greater 
part of the trees bore the marks of shot ; from which it 
was evident that severe engagements had occurred in 
that neighbourhood, both with the Prussians and with 
the Commune. At the further end of the island there 
was a small wooden pavilion called Pavilion de l'lm- 
peratrice, i.e., the pavilion of the wife of Napoleon. It 
was built of wood, was very handsome, and small. 

Having admired this for a while, we returned to the 
other side of the water, remounted our carriage, and, 
wandering as we went, drove home. 

Again in the evening we went out, and noticed a 
covered bazaar, like a corridor. Here we made a few 
purchases and returned to our palace. 



*OHAP. V.] 



France, Geneva. 



227 



It is extremely difficult to write up our diary in Paris 
day by day and in detail. Our strolls about the beautiful 
promenades by night as well as by day leave no chance 
for us to carry on the diary. However, all that is needful 
■shall be entered in a succinct manner. 

One day the members of the Diplomatic Corps came 
all to an audience. There is here an Ambassador, or a 
Minister, or a Charge d' Affaires, from every Govern- 
ment, — even from Japan, and from the Eepublic of the 
Island of Haiti. The Ambasosadrs were : Chigi — the 
Papal Nuncio, i.e., the envoy of the Pope; Lord Lyons — 
Ambassador of England ; Olozaga — Ambassador of 
Spain ; Prince Orloff — Ambassador of "Russia, whose 
left eye was struck by a ball at the siege of Silistria 
during the Crimean war, and became injured ; he also 
received other wounds from sabre-cuts and the like ; he 
had a black bandage tightly bound over his injured 
eye ; Appony — Ambassador of Austria ; Server Pasha — 
Ambassador of Turkey ; M. Nigra — Envoy of Italy ; Mr. 
Washburn — Envoy of the United States of America ; 
Naonobon Sameshima — Envoy of Japan. 

We here received also Prince Menschikoff, who attended 
us in Kussia, and Mirza, 'Abdu-'r-KahJm Khan, the 
Sa'idu-'l-Mulk, (Persian) Envoy at (St.) Peter(sburg). 
Furthermore, we received M. Pichon, M. Miniac, and 
M. Sartiges, former French Envoys at Tehran, as well 
as M. Mouny, a former French Charge d'Affaires at that 
capital. They were all fatter, and all younger looking. 

One day after breakfast we went to the palace and 
park of Versailles. The weather was very sultry. We 

q 2 



228 Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap. v. 

went in state. There were great crowds on both sides of 
the road. We passed along the Champs Elysees, by the 
Arc de Triomphe, through the Bois de Boulogne, and 
across the river Seine. The prefect and other authorities 
of the department of Seine et Oise, a separate depart- 
ment on the other side of the river, came to an audience 
and delivered an address, to which we replied. We then 
proceeded through the town of Sevres — famous for its 
manufactory of porcelain, the village of Chaville, and 
the village of Ville-D'Avray, so reaching Versailles. 
Troops of cavalry and infantry were drawn out, and stood 
in a line on either side of our road. Great crowds were 
also collected. 

We went to a mansion that was the residence of M. 
Buffet, the President of the National Assembly, and one 
of the palaces built by Louis XIV. ; that is to sa} T , the 
whole of Versailles, palace and park, was called into 
existence by him. I saw some beautiful paintings and 
portraits in these few rooms. The whole palace is of 
stone, and very solidly built. It is the first building 
of the Franks in point of sculptures, paintings, and 
architecture. 

M. Buffet came to meet us at the bottom of the stairs, 
the other Ministers of the Government being present. 
We went upstairs into a room, and sat down on a chair. 
The wife of M. Buffet came into our presence. We then 
rose ; and by the same route through which we had 
arrived, we returned ; until, at about half way, we came 
to a palace where Marshal MacMahon has his quarters. 
Alighting there, the Marshal, with other commanders, 



chap, t.] France, Geneva. 229 

met us, and we went upstairs, taking a seat in a room. 
That place was also an imposing, handsome, and highly 
decorated palace, heing part of the pile of Versailles. 
The wife of the Marshal was received in our presence. 
She is a very noble woman. The Marshal has one son, 
grown up, apparently of about seventeen or eighteen 
years of age ; also two daughters. They came into 
the room. The Due de Broglie — Minister of Foreign 
Affairs — was also there. 

We now descended ; we and the Marshal took seats 
in a carriage, went into the gardens of Versailles, and 
drove about. They have many basins and fountains of 
water, the source of which, like that of the fountains at 
the Crystal Palace of London, is derived from a steam- 
engine. They had opened the sources and let the water 
on in the fountains. There was a lake below the basins 
and fountains, very beautiful and spacious avenues, forest 
trees, the heads of which were all intertwined so as to 
form a kind of roof, with every here and there a circular 
open space of grass with trees around, having in the 
centre a large basin with a fountain of great altitude. 
It is a very charming place. 

One spot was formed into a kind of artificial mountain, 
with a cascade falling from the mountain. Several 
marble statues were placed behind the cascade, — one, a 
group named Apollo, who was the specific deity of manly 
beauty, of light, and of poetry. He is adorning (him- 
self), the others round him are holding a mirror, flowers, 
or implements of the toilet. It was so beautiful a piece 
of statuary, that one could not even imagine it. I 



230 Diary of a Tour hi Europe. [chap. v. 

formed the desire to go up near to these statues under 
the cascade. The Marshal and General Arture said it 
would be very difficult to go there, as the path was 
altogether precipitous, of rocks, and steep. I said I 
would go ; I alighted from the carriage, and went up. It 
is true that the way was disagreeable ; but to us, who- 
had seen and traversed much worse paths in the hunting- 
grounds of Persia, it offered no difficulty. When we had 
arrived near the statues, General Arture came (also) ; 
but, meeting with a fall, all his clothes were bemired, and 
his sword was either bent or broken. The Marshal like- 
wise came up ; but with great difficulty, and with the 
assistance of several persons. But this manner of 
getting up there by a Marshal and a general of France r 
is in no way derogatory to their firmness and courage.. 
Well ; the statues were very beautiful, though somewhat 
soiled, and covered with cobwebs. 

Coming clown from there, we went to another place 
made like a circus. In the middle of it were a basin of 
water and a fountain, and all round it two rows of stone 
columns. Between these columns was a tall stone basin 
on a pedestal, from the middle of which a very lofty 
fountain spouted. There were about eighty or ninety 
basins of water, from each one of which a fountain 
sprang, the whole of the columns, fountains, and floor r 
&c, being of stone. 

In like manner, in other parts of the garden, there are 
numerous fountains, marble statues, and other adorn- 
ments, with many spacious and beautiful avenues, to do 
full justice to which, in writing their description, is an 



chap, v.] France, Geneva. 



impossibility : what is requisite is that a person should 
see the whole for himself. Women and men, spectators, 
had formed a rare crush ; they uttered cries, they 
shouted hurrahs. 

We turned back and went upstairs in the palace, 
strolling about for a while through the apartments. 
Marshal Canrobert, and Palikao — who commanded the 
expedition to China, were received in audience, and con- 
versed with. Palikao is now unemployed. He said that 
from want of something to do, he was engaged in 
writing a diary of (his expedition to) China. Canrobert 
is also out of employ, but is a very able commander,, 
possessing judgment and firmness. In the SebastopoL 
war he commanded in chief, and at the siege of Metz 
was under the command of Marshal Bazaine. At the 
surrender of that fortress to the Germans he was among 
the captives, and was greatly mortified at being under 
Bazaine's command. 

We next saw the sons of Louis-Philippe. In the 
time of Napoleon they were expelled from France and 
went to England, returning to the French territory after 
the republic (had been proclaimed). We saw two of 
them to-day; one, the Due d'Aumale; the other, the 
Prince cle Joinville. The Due d'Aumale is a very 
talented man ; de Joinville is also a handsome prince,, 
but is somewhat hard of hearing. The Comte de Paris,, 
grandson to Louis-Philippe, and heir to the royalty of the 
House of Orleans, was not there ; i.e., he had gone to a 
house that he possesses at a summer station near Paris* 
We had some conversation with the princes, who then 



232 Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap. v. 

retired. They are now deputies in the Assembly on the 
part of the people. As they were officers in the military 
{and naval) service in the time of their father, so they 
now also, on state occasions, wear military (or naval) 
uniforms. They have a claim to the sovereignty of 
France, up to the point which God may ordain. The 
names and orders of these princes are the following : the 
eldest son of Louis -Philippe is the Due de Nemours ; 
after him, de Joinville ; next, the Due d'Aumale ; and 
then the Due de Monpensier — who is now in Spain and 
has a claim to the sovereignty of that country. The 
Comte de Paris is a grandson of Louis-Philippe, and son 
of the Due d' Orleans, who was a son of Louis-Philippe, 
and his heir-apparent ; when he fell from his carriage 
and died, his son became the heir-apparent. 

Well ; after a while Marshal MacMahon came, and we 
went to the room in which is the bedstead, with the 
bedding, of Louis XIV. After seeing these we went to 
table to dinner. The table was very long ; the dinner 
very good. The most part of those present were mili- 
tary commanders and officers, deputies, and the like. 
On our right was seated M. Buffet, the President of the 
Assembly ; to our left, the Minister of Foreign Affairs. 
Opposite to us was Marshal MacMahon, with the Grand- 
Yazir to his right. In like manner, the princes of 
Persia, with the others, were seated along the two sides. 
The Sani'u-'d-Dawla stood behind our chair and acted 
as interpreter. It passed off very pleasantry. 

The (dining-) hall was a long apartment, very hand- 
some, and highly decorated, with numerous chandeliers. 



■chap, v.] France, Geneva. 233 

After dinner we came down stairs, and I, with the 
Marshal, took my seat in a carriage,, proceeding to 
witness the illuminations of the palace and gardens. 
Armour-wearing cavaky, each man holding a flambeau in 
Lis hand, preceded us ; and the crowds were very great. 
Afterwards we turned in another direction of the 
gardens, where there was a lake. The further side of 
this was arranged in stages, over which water flowed as 
in a cascade, while fountains spouted from the basins. 
Great numbers of commanders and grandees, the 
members of the Diplomatic Bodj^, nobles, notables, 
deputies, and others, were present. They had placed a 
chair, and on it we took our seat. Then all sat down, 
and a very beautiful display of fireworks took place. It 
was moonlight ; the weather, too, was extremely beautiful 
and pleasant. 

At the conclusion of the fireworks we mounted our 
carriage, and went past St. Cloud — which was a noble 
royal palace, but took fire, and was burnt in the German 
war, though its avenues and park are still left, — through 
the Bois de Boulogne, to the city, and home. On our 
road we everywhere conversed with General Arture. 

One day we went to the Invalides, where are seen the 
tomb of the first Napoleon, those of his commanders 
and brothers, together with others of older commanders 
of the days of Louis XIV., &c. At our quarters, which 
were formerly the Palace of the National Assembly, i.e., 
at the Palais de Bourbon, there is a vast area fronting 
the Invalides, with avenues full of trees. We arrived 
there. The aged veteran soldiers, wounded, some with- 



234 Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap, v, 

out arms or legs, and some blind, were drawn up in line, 
and did us military honour, we returning their salute. 
In the court of the Invalides are some large old cannon,, 
mortars, and the like. The Governor of the Invalides,. 
a very aged personage, and palsied, was present, whose 
name was Martinprai. He came to meet us with his 
aides-de-camp and other officers. He was formerly a 
Governor in Algeria, and Chief of the Staff in the 
Crimean and Italian campaigns. 

We entered the chapel, where was a handsome altar of* 
stone, with gilt-work, which Louis-Philippe, the former 
King of the French, had set up. It is a grand structure.. 
On the other side of the altar, under a dome, is the tomb 
of the first Napoleon, whose body was brought from the 
island of St. Helena by Louis-Philippe, and buried here.. 
The stone that covers the tomb, of a pea-green colour, 
was brought from the island of Corsica ; while the stone 
above that, a most beautiful Siberian stone, with a ruddy 
tint, was sent by the Eussian Emperor Nicholas. The 
general structure of this chapel of the Invalides is of 
the time of Louis XIV. ; but the altar and some other of 
its arrangements were constructed by Louis-Philippe. 
It was the latter who excavated the interior of the dome, 
in which the sarcophagus of the tomb is placed. Around 
it, above, is a walk to which people come to visit the 
tomb. The palace of the Invalides is a very noble pile,, 
the dome of which was gilt by Napoleon. 

We saw there a few veterans who had been in the 
battles of Waterloo, Friedland, or Iena, who were still 
hale and hearty, and who gave descriptions of those 



chap, v.] France, Geneva. 235 

battles. The following are their names : Captain 
Ducheinin, Chassy, Branche. 

On the other side of the tomb was a place where, in a 
glass case, they had placed the hat worn in his battles by 
the first Napoleon. We lifted the hat and examined it 
long. We held in our hands the hat of a very great 
monarch and commander. It was evident from the hat 
itself that Napoleon had always worn this very hat which 
was a plain hat. The sword of Napoleon that was by 
his side on the field of Austerlitz, was also there. We 
took it up, and examined it. The sword was small and 
straight ; its hilt was of gold, but the sword was rusted, 
and could not be drawn from the scabbard. With the 
utmost veneration did we replace both articles, and came 
away. 

We now proceeded to the museum, in which they have 
collected and arranged specimens of ancient and modern 
cannon, with inventions relating thereto, ancient weapons 
of commanders and champions of old, quantities of 
armour for man and horse, all ticketed with a number 
and with the names of their owners. There were also 
other places used as armories, &c, but, as we were 
somewhat fatigued, we deferred to another day a visit 
to them, and returned home. 

The present number of inmates of the Invalides, offi- 
cers and men, is five hundred and ninety souls. Of these,, 
thirty-five are from the clays of the first Napoleon, the 
rest from later times. The palace was founded in a.d. 
1670 by order of Louis XIV., Louvois being then the 
Minister of War, and its builder. 



-2 2,6 Diary of a Tour in Europe. l chap. v. 

There are thirty-two pieces of artillery at the gates of 
ihe Invalides, which are fired when any event of import- 
.ance occurs, such as a great victory or the like. On our 
arrival in Paris, too, these guns of the Invalides were 
fired. 

The flags taken from the enemy in battle in the time 
of the first Napoleon, and since, are kept at the Invalides, 
^as are also those taken in the days of Louis XIV., down- 
wards. Around the tomb of Napoleon forty-six flags are 
-disposed, taken by himself in battles ; while within the 
chapel other two hundred and fort} T -five flags are seen, 
taken at earlier periods, or later. 

The following are some of the commanders of France 
(Marshals), ancient and modern, buried in the Invalides, 
where most of those officers have their tombs : Turenne, 
Vauban, Lannes, Colbert, — who were marshals and 
ministers of Louis XIV. ; Mortier, Jourdain, — generals 
of the first Napoleon. Around the tomb of Napoleon are 
those of Jerome, his brother, of Marshal Duroc, and of 
Marshal Bertrand. 

Three days before our arrival in France, two trains 
•came into collision on the Cherbourg Kailway, when a 
number of people were killed or wounded. 

M. Cremieux, one of the French national deputies, and 
a Jew, who was always in opposition to Napoleon III., 
and is a marvellous orator, came to an audience. He is 
an old man, and very short. He still speaks in the 
Assembly, and is in opposition to the Government. 

The celebrated Kothschild, a Jew also, who is exceed- 
ingly rich, came to an audience, and we conversed with 



chap, v.] France, Geneva. 237 

him. He greatly advocated the cause of the Jews, men- 
tioned the Jews of Persia, and claimed tranquillity for 
them. I said to him : "I have heard that you, brothers,. 
possess a thousand crores of money. I consider the best 
thing to do would be that you should pay fifty crores to 
some large or small State, and buy a territory in which 
you could collect all the Jews of the whole world, you 
becoming their chiefs, and leading them on their way in 
peace, so that you should no longer be thus scattered and 
dispersed." We laughed heartily, and he made no reply. 
I gave him an assurance that I do protect every alien 
nationality that is in Persia. 

M. Lesseps, so well known, who has joined the Medi- 
terranean to the Ked Sea, — i.e., a large company having 
been formed, has, through the exertions of this personage, 
opened that road, and by this means shortened for com- 
merce the passage to India, Persia, China, &c, from 
Europe, by about two thousand leagues, — came to an 
audience, together with his son, a youth. He has now a 
fresh scheme in his head, — that of making a railway from 
the town of Orenburg in Eussia to the city of Samarqand, 
and thence on to Peshawur in British India. But this is 
a notion very remote (from reason) and distant (from 
practicability) . 

Nadar, a Parisian photographer of talent, had an. 
audience, and took our photograph. Formerly, he has 
several times made ascents in balloons ; but has now 
dropped that fancy, and occupies himself with his photo- 
graphy. He is a pleasant man and corpulent. 

M. Tardieu, Chief of the Sanitary Council of Paris,, 



238 Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap. v. 

had an audience, together with Larrey, a distinguished 
surgeon, and son of the Larrey who was Surgeon-in- 
Chief to Napoleon L, and Jules Cloquet, uncle to the 
Cloquet who was Principal Physician to the late Shah 
(Muhammad Shah, father of the present monarch), and 
also physician to ourselves, who of himself by night in- 
advertently at Tehran drank some (tincture of) cantharides 
in lieu of wine, and died (in consequence). 

M. Boure', a former Minister Plenipotentiary at Tehran, 
and subsequently Ambassador at Constantinople and else- 
where in the time of Napoleon III., was also received and 
conversed with at length. He is a man of ability. 

Well; very many Prussian shots struck this very 
Palais Bourbon, so that the marks thereof are still 
patent. 

One day we went to Longchamps to a review of troops. 
We breakfasted and mounted our carriage. All (our 
suite) accompanied us. We went by way of the Champs 
Elysees, the Arc de Triomphe, and the Bois de Boulogne. 
In the middle of this latter Marshal MacMahon was 
waiting with (a number of) generals, officers, and others, 
on horseback. There were also great multitudes of 
women and men. The Due de Nemours, — eldest son of 
Louis-Philippe, whom we had not before seen, was also 
there, mounted, and we conversed with him. I, too, 
alighted from my carriage, and mounted my charger 
" Blaze." 

General Ladmirault, the Commandant of the garrison 
of Paris, together with his staff, i.e., his aides-de-camp, 
was present. 



■chap, v.] France, Geneva. 239 

Well; in this very order did we proceed and came 
upon the armour-wearing cavalry — the Cuirassiers, and 
the light cavalry — the Hussards. They were drawn up 
on either side (of our road), and were a thousand strong. 

After passing down between these cavalry, we went on 
to the plain and meadow of Longchamps — a spacious 
piece of grassland. To our left an artificial mountain 
had been constructed, down which much water poured, 
like a waterfall, and which is a part of the Bois de 
Boulogne. 

The regular troops (on the ground), too, were about a 
liundred and twenty battalions ; but each battalion had 
only about four or five hundred men present, not more ; 
the remainder being on furlough at home. We went 
down in front of the ranks of the infantry and artillery. 
These troops are from the remoter environs of Paris. 
For instance, some of the battalions had come a distance 
•of thirty leagues to be present at this review. There 
were three hundred pieces of artillery present, harnessed 
to their horses. The whole of the troops in military 
fashion, and, as a mark of respect and honour, drooped 
their colours. We, too, returned the salutes. 

Bound about the grassland, within the woods, up in 
the trees, everywhere were people. 

After inspecting the ranks, we went to some rooms 
ouilt of timber long ago on this plain for the purpose of 
similar reviews and horse-races. We went upstairs and 
took our seat; upon which the Marshal went into the 
grass and meadow. French commanders, together with 
•certain military attaches — Ottoman, Austrian, Russian, 



240 Diary of a Toitr in Europe, [chap. v. 

Prussian, drew up in front of the Marshal. In the upper 
chamber where we were, the French Minister for Foreign 
Affairs, the President of the Assembly — M. Buffet, Mar- 
shal Canrobert, and others, were present. As Canrobert 
is not now in the army, and has no appointment, he was 
not on horseback. 

Well; the infantry and artillery came and marched 
past ; after them, the cavalry did the same. The whole 
of the deputies of France, — five hundred in number, had 
come, and had all taken their seats. In the building to 
our left the Diplomatic Corps, and others, were seated. 
The wife of Marshal MacMahon was there. Around us 
were seated an assemblage of graceful women and ladies. 
As each battalion passed by, the national deputies clapped 
hands and shouted hurrahs. Marshal MacMahon, too, 
took off his hat to each battalion. It lasted nearly three 
hours before the whole of the infantry, artillery, and 
cavalry had inarched past. All included, too, they were 
more than eighty thousand men. The forces went through 
an admirable review. 

After all those defeats and ruin of the French, no idea 
had been entertained of such a collection and such disci- 
pline of their forces. They were beautifully dressed; 
the muskets of the men were the same old Chassepots, 
and the artillery the same guns used in the German war 
and anterior to that. When all was over we returned 
home by about sunset. 

Another day we went again to Longchamps to witness 
the horse-racing. The Marshal came himself to our 
residence, where we mounted a carriage and started. 



chap, v.] France, Geneva. 241 

The rest (of our people) went also. We followed the 
same route to the Bois de Boulogne that we had taken 
on the day of the review. From thence, however, we 
went behind the cascade, but only to arrive at the same 
•stand where we were seated to witness the march past. 
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, M. Buffet, the wife of 
the Marshal, the commanders and others, the Ottoman 
Ambassador, and the Austrian Ambassador, were there. 
Women and men in multitudes were assembled around 
the race-course. Four heats were run. They had given 
to each race the name of a Persian province ; such 
as Ispahan, Shiraz, &c. In the first heat they ran 
half round the course, which is one horse-distance. 
One jockey, whose dress was green, in accordance 
with the Persian ribbon, won the race. In the next 
two heats they ran round the entire course ; but, as 
the distance is not great, most of the horses came in 
together. The horse that gets ahead, say, by one 
head and neck, of the others, is counted to have been 
first in. The Persian rule for horse-racing is better, 
and affords a better spectacle. The Persian race- 
course is half a league round; six rounds, that is, 
three leagues, and sometimes seven rounds, are run in 
one heat. Whichever horse gets the start has given 
proof of his power. Here, where at the utmost once 
round is the length of a race, which is but half a 
league, the powers of a horse are not fully brought out 
in evidence. 

In the last race the horses had to jump at full gallop 
over several barriers of wood about an ell in height 






242 Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap, v, 

(42 inches), and garnished at top with wild brambles and 
furze. This was much better as a spectacle. 

The races lasted rather more than an hour, after which 
we returned home. The Marshal went his own way, in 
order to be present in the evening at the fireworks and 
illuminations. 

We came along, and having reached the Arc de 
Triomphe, alighted. A number of our suite were with 
us. We went to the top of the building. It had two 
hundred and eighty-five steps. It is very high; the 
steps are narrow and winding, so that it is exceedingly 
irksome to mount. I got to the top in a breath, but the 
others followed slowly. From the summit the whole of 
the city of Paris is visible, with its environs and its forts, 
The people that were returning from Longchamps and 
the races were all in sight. From the Bois de Boulogne 
to the end of the Champs Elysees seven rows of carriages 
were counted ; and in like manner, in the other streets 
multitudes of carriages were seen. It was a grand 
spectacle. 

After a certain stay there, we descended and remounted 
our carriage. On starting there was no possibility to get 
along, by reason of the crowd of vehicles and of pedes- 
trians ; so that we had great trouble to reach home. 

In the evening the Marshal came; we mounted together, 
and passing through the Champs Elysees, &c. From 
our residence to the site of the fireworks, both sides of 
the road were full of people. This evening there must 
have been a collection of a crore (half a million) of 
women and men seen by us. They all shouted : " Vive 



chap, v.] France, Geneva. 243 

le Schah cle Perse," and they also spoke well of the 
Marshal, saying: "Vive la France." 

They had prepared a beautiful illumination. In 
all the streets they had suspended crystal lamps like 
round globes ; but the wind somewhat interfered with 
these. 

We drove a long way, and at length reached a place 
where the river Seine occupied the middle, and the fire- 
works were prepared on the other side of it. On that 
side of the river, and opposite to us, was the parade- 
ground and the military College (the Champ de Mars and 
the Ecole Militaire), which were all illuminated. The 
place where we were seated is named the Trocaderc. 
On this side of the river, also, every avenue was illumi- 
nated. They had prepared some sumptuous apartments 
for us, of timber, hung with numerous chandeliers and 
furnished throughout with curtains newly woven of silk, 
velvet, and satin. But the wind and the rain somewhat 
disarranged the preparations. The lamps, however, being 
lighted with gas, were but seldom extinguished. The 
fireworks were magnificent. The whole of the French 
high officials, of the Corps Diplomatique, &c, were pre- 
sent. Thanks be to God, the whole passed off pleasantly, 
and we came home. The Marshal again rode with us in 
our carriage to our residence. 

During the fireworks the armour-wearing cavalry — the 
Cuirassiers, to the number of three thousand, passed 
along the bank of the river, flambeaux in hand, and their 
band playing. It was a majestic sight. 

One evening we went to the Circus, which is near our 

e2 



244 Diary of a Totir in Europe. [chap. v. 

quarters. It is a place like a theatre, but is better. 
They have constructed a circular edifice, around which 
are tiers of wooden stages, on which people sit. It has 
also a roof, and many chandeliers are suspended. The 
middle part of the edifice is like the pit of a gymnasium, 
strewed with earth. The place is spacious enough to 
hold three thousand spectators. On the night, more 
especially, that we went there the assembly was very 
numerous. They had hired seats at the prices of thirty 
to fifty tiimans {121, to 201.) • There were some extremely 
beautiful women. The Grand- Vazir, the princes, and 
others, were all present. 

The place had three doors. One of these is the door 
to the stables of the circus, and is near to the arena 
where the performances go on, as (the horses and actors) 
come and leave by that way. They have from fifty to 
sixty very handsome horses, of curious coats. I had 
never seen similar horses anywhere. There were some 
extraordinary speckled horses, which must have been 
worth a thousand or five hundred, tumans (4001. or 
2001.) ; and in such a manner had they disciplined and 
accustomed these horses that, at one signal, they did 
whatever was desired. The whole of the horses under- 
stood the language. Their teacher said: "Stop;" 
they all stopped ; he said : "Go on quickly;" they all 
ran; he said: "Stand up;" and lo, suddenly they 
reared up on their hind feet; he said: "Bun away;" 
and they did so. In short, whatever he told them to do, 
they did. Many a moral lesson could be learnt there. 
There was a large whip in the hand of the master of the 



chap, v.] France, Geneva. 245 



horses, which he continually kept in action, and which 
made a report like that of a musket. 

Beautiful women, elegantly dressed, rode upon the 
horses and cantered round. They jumped upon the 
horses' backs, they turned summersaults, forwards and 
backwards, and again they fell to the earth without 
receiving injury. 

Several men, stationed round the arena, held scarves, 
and all put up their hands on high. One lovely woman 
mounted a horse and put him to a canter around the. 
place ; and when the horse was at the top of his speed, 
she, on arriving successively at each scarf, sprang up 
from the horse's back, turned a summersault backwards, 
passing over the scarf and coming down on her feet 
again upon the back of her steed. Twice she succeeded 
in performing this feat all right ; at the third scarf she 
fell to the ground. She was not hurt, however; but 
again leaped on the horse and thrice repeated her 
summersault. 

They then held up wooden hoops, and a young man 
mounted a horse, put him to a gallop, and, as he arrived 
near the hoops, leaped up, passed through the hoops, 
and alighted on his feet upon his horse. 

Some hoops were prepared like tambourines by having 
skins stretched over them. The horses, running at a 
gallop, dashed violently through, tearing the skins to 
pieces ; while a man, mounted on them, leaped over the 
hoop and again alighted on the horse. 

Several women and children mounted and performed 
such feats as cannot be described or recounted. For 



246 Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap. v. 

instance, in one breath and all together the} 7 turned over 
five hundred (many) summersaults backwards upon the 
horses; — a thing beyond the power of man. Little chil- 
dren, of graceful forms, turned summersaults in a fashion 
that cannot be imagined ; performed most beautifully 
upon ropes, so that monkeys and spiders alone could 
imitate them. In short, they worked wonders, and it 
was a delightful spectacle. 

We went from thence to the palace of the Louvre, 
where all the philosophers and learned men of Paris 
were assembled. The Minister of Sciences, — a very fat 
and tall man, whose name is Batbie, was also present. 
We went to the ground-floor of the building, where the 
marble statues, ancient and modern, are arranged. The 
armour- wearing cavalry, flambeaux in hand, preceded us. 
The philosophers and learned marched on either side, 
and the Minister of Sciences walked near us. After a 
protracted promenade, we came back to our own home. 

Some very fine statues had been viewed. There was 
one large statue of marble, of colossal proportions and 
gigantic mould, leaning against a mountain and seated 
with his feet extended, having in his hand a vase out of 
which water was pouring. This water is the water of 
the river Tiber, which is seen at Rome, the capital of 
Italy. There were also some marble statues of Venus, 
the specific deity of beauty, one of which has been beau- 
tifully carved, but both its arms are broke away at about 
the middle of the upper-arm. There were also many 
other statues that are rarely to be matched elsewhere. 

One day we went to an establishment called the 



chap, v.] France, Geneva. 247 

Panorama, i.e., a scene all round. This is a very wonderful 
piece of science and art, the inventor of which is a man 
from the New World. It was not far from our residence. 
The Grand- Vazir and the others were all present. We 
came to a place where a circular edifice rose to view ; 
having a small door. We entered, and first we reached 
a panorama representing a street, — one of the streets of 
Paris, at the time when the Prussians were besieging the 
city. Shot and shell were falling like hail from the sky. 
The time was the winter season. People were coming 
out of their houses, holding their wives and children by 
the hand, and fleeing awajr. The more one examined 
this scene with attention, the more real and substantial 
did it appear, so that one could not tell it was a painted 
picture and not an actual occurrence, an incident of the 
struggle. One man had fallen down, his head broken, 
and the blood flowing. It was impossible to discern 
the pigment from real blood; and so of the other 
features of the scene depicted. 

From thence we had to ascend by some stairs to a 
place where was a circular enclosure, from which one 
could look in every direction. The city of Paris, its 
forts and environs, the guns and their projectiles, the 
turmoil of battle and siege, the flight and bursting of 
shot and shells in the air, all appeared before one. It 
was as though at that moment one were in the city of 
Paris, and all the incidents and confusion of the war 
with the Prussians were before his eyes. In short, 
unless one see it with his own eyes, he cannot under- 
stand how it is that a fictitious picture and a non- 



/ 



248 Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap. v. 

existent circumstance cannot be distinguished from a 
real event and a current fact. 

This place has always been used for the exhibition of 
works of the same kind, so that whenever people have 
felt inclined, they could come here, pay their money, 
and obtain entrance to view the spectacle. The keepers 
of the place make a good income by it. The won- 
derful part of the matter is that for a length of time 
they exhibited here a view of the conquest of Sebas- 
topol, in which the English and French defeated the 
Kussians. This was removed to make place, during a 
certain season, for a panorama representing the victories 
obtained over the Austrians by the French forces at 
Solferino, Magenta, and elsewhere. Now they have 
depicted and exhibit the defeat and humiliation of 
France. 

But as the air is very much confined in this establish- 
ment, should any one remain in it more than ten minutes 
or so, he becomes subject to headache and other more 
disagreeable ailments, so we also soon withdrew. 

On another occasion we went to the church of Notre 
Dame and to the Cite, which are on an island in the 
river Seine, and are within the city of Paris. We passed 
by the Hotel de la Monnaie, and by the Conseil d'Etat — 
a large edifice and office of one of the Ministers, built in 
the time of the first Napoleon and utterly burnt by the 
men of the Commune ; so arriving at the church. The 
priests came forward to meet us. The edifice of the 
church is very grand, and is entirely of stone. It has 
been built five or six hundred years. Entering, we 



chap, v.] France, Geneva. 249- 

surveyed every part of it with great attention. It 
possesses some pulpits and some railings (screens), of 
ancient carved wood, exceedingly rich. Its windows are 
all of coloured glass in various tints and very beautiful.. 
We saw the treasury of the church, where were some 
chalices and vessels of gold, gilt, silver, and so on. I 
there held a conversation with the chief priest ; I asked, 
him : " What is your belief concerning His Holiness 
Jesus, on whom be peace ; used he to drink wine or 
not?" All at once, the whole of the priests, as though 
I had asked a strange question, unanimously said : " He 
certainly used to drink wine. That is a small matter. 
He himself also made wine." I then said : " Used he to* 
drink seldom or often?" They all said: "He used 
even to drink often." 

We now left and went to the Ecole des Mines — the 
mining academy. The name of the Director is M. 
Doubre. It is a surprising place. In it there are spe- 
cimens of all the mineral ores of the world, beginning 
with gold, down to coal, and the like. The whole of 
them are numbered and ticketed, being kept in glass 
cases. There is an emerald mine in New Grenada,. 
America, from whence emeralds are now obtained. 
Some crystals of emerald, of good colour and free from 
defects, were seen, still imbedded in the matrix. I saw 
also specimens of the emeralds from the mines of Siberia 
and elsewhere ; but these were all large and of bad 
quality. In short, there were so many specimens of 
minerals that their number is unknown ; and it would 
require the power of a person's examining them one by 



-250 - Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap. v. 

one through a long period and with all attention, of put- 
ting questions to the professors and hearing their answers, 
for him to comprehend something about them ; not for 
us, who had to see the whole of these stones in five 
minutes, as well as to hear from whence each came, so 
that it was an utter impossibility to understand airything 
-as to their natures and properties. 

We then proceeded to the upper floor, where fossils 
;are kept ; i.e., the bones of animals from before the time 
•of Noah's flood, and since then, as well as animals (qy., 
plants) that have become petrified. There were many 
strange and marvellous things, a knowledge of which is 
:a science by itself, incompatible with the scope of this 
narrative. After these wanderings we returned home. 

The palace of the Luxembourg is another place to 
which we one day rambled. This is a stately and exten- 
sive palace with its gardens, of the time of Louis XVI., 
its gardens being now open to the public, so that people 
go there every day to walk about. Its beds of flowers are 
very beautiful. The Hotel de Ville or town-hall being 
now a ruin and burnt down, this edifice has been 
.assigned as the place for the offices of the city. 

On our arrival in the garden, M. Duval, the Prefect of 
Paris, together with M. Alfand, the city architect, and 
-others, were waiting for us. The streets of Paris, — thus 
straight, broad, and level, together with the avenues in 
which trees have been planted so regularly and tastefully, 
were all planned and laid out on the instructions and 
under the supervision of M. Haussman, formerly Prefect 
-of Paris in the days of Napoleon, and of this architect. 



chap, v.] France, Geneva. 251 

We sat in the gardens awhile, and then entered the 
palace to view the pictures and other objects. M. 
Vautrain, President of the Municipal Council of Paris, 
was received in audience. This palace of the Luxem- 
bourg is one of the finest edifices in Paris ; and in it did 
Louis-Philippe establish the Senate, adding to it a very 
sumptuous structure in which that body should hold its 
meetings. The Senate continued to sit here until the 
end of the reign of Napoleon, but was abolished when 
republicanism made its appearance, and we saw in that 
very chamber of the Senate one or two professors who 
were examining pupils from the colleges. Each pupil 
who passes this examination, has the right to enter 
gratis into the other superior places of instruction. 

The Senate consisted of one hundred members, more 
or less, of the magnates, notabilities, and aged com- 
manders of the State, in order that they should not be 
without something to do. To each of them was assigned 
a salary of three thousand tumans (1200Z.), with a seat 
in this Council, for the purpose of reconsidering every 
enactment that came from the Chamber of Deputies ; 
since, until it had received the ratification of this 
Council, it was not put in force. Now it is altogether 
abandoned. 

Well ; the palace had some very magnificent halls and 
rooms ; but alas, a thousand pities, — the whole of these 
apartments were cut up and partitioned off with wains- 
cotings, and in each subdivision an office, or a committee 
of the municipal administration, was installed, each with 
a number of members, and with registers, ledgers, books, 



252 Diary of a Totir in Europe. [chap. v. 

and writing materials thrown about, such as paper, pens, 
ink, and the like. In short, they have deposed the 
palace from all its majest}% Still, whenever they may 
desire it, they can remove these boards, and restore the 
place to its pristine condition. It possessed many beau- 
tiful portraits, ancient and modern, which we examined 
in great detail. 

There is in Paris a very large and lofty church, whiclt 
I had noticed from the top of the Arc de Triomphe, and 
which is named the Pantheon. Louis XV. built it. First 
of all it was a church ; then a cemetery for men of emi- 
nence ; and now again, latterly, it is a church and place 
of worship. There were numerous scaffoldings all around 
it to carry out repairs, as the Communists, in the days 
of anarchy, had done much damage to it. 

Another church also is in Paris, ranking next after 
that of Notre Dame, and named St. Sulpice, which is 
very handsome ; and again the Madeleine, built by the 
first Napoleon, and also extremely grand. Many other 
churches were likewise seen, of which it is not here 
necessary to give any account. 

The Palais Royal we visited one evening. This is a 
very extensive place. In the middle of its court there is 
a garden and a basin of water, around it a colonnade 
with a walk covered in overhead, and on each side of this 
walk rows of shops to the number of four or five hun- 
dred, where everything is sold — most beautiful jewels, 
real and supposititious, cutlery, glass, porcelain, and 
the like. I strolled into every shop, and I laid out sums 
of money. There were crowds of spectators. 



chap, v.] France, Geneva. 253 

The Mint formed another day's visit. It is called the 
Hotel de la Monnaie ; its Director is named M. Mar- 
cott, and he came to receive us/ together with numerous 
other persons. 

We first went to the upper floor, where there is an ex- 
tensive collection of the coins of different nations, ancient 
and modern, arranged in glass cases — coins of the an- 
cient monarchs of Persia and Tartary, China, India, and 
the various countries of Europe ; coins of every descrip- 
tion, and medals of all kinds. 

Next we visited a chamber called the Chamber of 
Napoleon, in which were collected everything pertaining 
to that sovereign, such as obverse and reverse dies of 
his coins, as well as those of the medals struck in his 
days in commemoration of the battles won or provinces 
conquered, of decorations for his troops, and the like. 
A model of the column of (the Place) Vendome was also 
there, which column the men of the Commune destroyed 
altogether. This was about two ells high (7 feet), and 
made of cast metal. It is the fac-simile of the column 
itself; but the height of the real column was forty-six 
ells (161 feet), with a diameter of two ells (7 feet) ; 
whereas that of the model is only one span. There 
were also in that place several figures of Napoleon. A 
shot from the Communists had come in there, had per- 
forated the glass over the obverse dies, and then pene- 
trated into the wall. They have preserved these things 
exactly in that condition, and have not changed that 
glass, saying they so keep it as a memorial. To this I 
remarked : " It is a sad memorial." 



254 Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap. v. 

Well ; we came clown stall's and viewed the coining 
machinery. It is worked by steam. The coins they were 
striking were of silver, each of five francs, a very large 
coin. They said that gold, owing to the sums paid to 
Prussia, was very scarce. Silver, however, was plentiful, 
and all the money was silver. 

Three large medals, one of gold, another of silver, and 
the third of copper, were struck, then and there, in our 
presence, in commemoration of our visit to the Mint, 
with Persian inscriptions, and offered to us as a present. 

We now went forth, and mounting a small steamer, 
went up the river against the stream, passed be} r ond the- 
fortifications of the city, and arrived at the spot where 
the river Marne enters the Seine. From thence we 
returned. The banks of the river had no beauty. The 
water of the Seine was scant, and its depth about two 
ells (7 feet). At a short distance after leaving the city, 
both sides of the river are occupied b}^ the poor tene- 
ments of peasants, principally washerwomen or bathing 
establishments. These are all built of wood in the 
stream of the river, as we saw. The baths are in this 
wise : — a large wooden room with a roof is constructed in 
the river, through the middle of which the water flows. 
Every one who wishes to bathe must go into that room 
and there wash himself. Clothes-washing-houses, again, 
are on the same principle. They sit in them, and the} T 
wash the clothes in them. The clothes-washers are all 
women. There are also baths heated by steam, where 
a man may really wash and cleanse his body. After all 
this, we went home. 



chap, v.] France, Geneva. 255 

The establishment of the Gobelins was the object of 
another day's excursion, and far enough off it was. It 
is a very ancient manufactory where they weave car- 
pets, rugs, and similar things, which they sell and buy 
for fabulous prices. The manufactory belongs to the 
State. The heads of the manufactory, as also the work- 
men, are salaried and paid by the Government. These 
rugs and tapestries are to such a degree beautiful and 
choice, that they are hung in the halls and apartments of 
monarchs in lieu of paintings, simply as ornaments. In 
Prussia, in Belgium, in England, and in France itself, 
I saw that they are kept in mansions with the utmost 
consideration. A tapestry was in progress of manufac- 
ture, being woven for a hall in the palace of Fontaine- 
bleau, a town of the towns of France. But they told me 
that over each tapestry of that size they had to work- 
eight years. Very long are they in completing such. 
And then again, a defect they have is that the sun causes 
the dyes of the tissues to facie ; whereas the dyes of 
Persian carpets are not easily deteriorated by the sun. 

They weave these tapestries according to any portrait 
or painting of celebrity that may be desired. They place 
the copy of that painting before them : if the copy bo# 
small, they enlarge it ; if it be too large, they reduce it in 
weaving the tapestry. In short, just as they please, they 
manage it. It is also a very perfection of art, that by 
merely looking at the copy, they weave its fac-simile. 

There were several beautiful pieces of tapestry half 
woven for the great theatre, that Napoleon III. had or- 
dered, and are still in hand; but I know not when that 



256 Diary of a Tour in Ettrope. [chap. v. 

theatre and those tapestries will be finished. It is an 
extensive establishment, and the workmen are numerous. 
The Director's name is M. Darsela. 

From the Gobelins we went to the National Printing- 
Office, where thejr print books and the like. Some by 
hand, some by steam, in whatever way they wish, they 
can print with celerity and despatch. 

Turning our steps from thence, we went to the palace 
of the Louvre, and on our road viewed several places 
burnt and ruined by the men of the Commune. More 
especially, one great storehouse, the Halle au Ble, a very 
large and imposing structure where the Government 
stores of wheat were kept, and which was utterly de- 
stroyed. They likewise ruined several bridges. 

"We also passed through the Place de la Bastille, where 
there is a column known as the Colonne de Juillet, — one 
of the structures of Louis-Philippe, and very lofty, with 
the statue of an angel in gilt brass upon it. The column 
itself, too, is of cast metal. 

Well ; we reached the Louvre, which is a noble edifice, 
and, as to sculptures, paintings, and the like, has no 
equal. There was a long hall, of very pleasing arrange- 
»ment, and named the Galerie d'Apollon, i.e., of the 
specific deity of beauty, poetry, and singing. Here were 
large numbers of vases in jasper, and jewelled, in rock- 
crystal, and the like, of ancient goldsmiths' and silver- 
smiths' work, of articles of gold and silver dug up out of 
the earth, and of curiosities and gems of art of the 
whole world, — the whole in cases or under glass. There 
is also, in a case, an arm-bone of Charlemagne, who was 



chap, v.] France, Geneva. 257 

Emperor of the whole of Firangistan. A gold casket, 
antique, in most exquisite goldsmiths' work, was the 
property of Anne of Austria, mother of Louis XIV. This 
hall is itself one of the buildings of the last-named 
monarch. They have made a copy of the Crown of Louis 
XV., with false jewels, and have placed it there. The 
sword and sceptre of Charlemagne are there also. 

We then visited the whole of the halls where the 
paintings are hung. These are all works of artists of 
celebrity, and one would have to sit under each of them 
all day to understand the subtleties of the master's art ; 
whereas I, being hurried in my survey, have necessarily 
not been able to seize those niceties. There were some 
works by Kaphael, a renowned painter, though I nryself 
gave a preference over all others to the productions of 
the pencil of Albani, who was a master of great taste. 
Murillo, too, was very good. There were also many pic- 
tures by other artists ; for instance, there was one valued 
at more than thirty thousand tiimans (12,000L). 

Having completed this survey, we went into the gar- 
dens of the Tuileries, and had a thorough view of the 
burnt ruins of the palace. It was an edifice without an 
equal in the world, and is now an utter wreck. To 
rebuild it as it was would be difficult, as the expense 
would be enormous. They burnt this palace, with all it 
contained ; thereby causing damage to the extent of at 
least a hundred crores of tiimans (20,000,0002.) . I was 
grieved beyond measure. The garden of the Tuileries, 
too, by reason of the ruin of the palace and a lack of 
constant care, has fallen from its beauty. A band plays 



258 Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap. v. 

there of afternoons. We walked down to the very end of 
the gardens, thereby greatly fatiguing ourself ; and thence, 
mounting the carriage, drove home. 

Napoleon III. built a theatre better and more magni- 
ficent than all the other theatres of Firangistan, spending 
upon it five crores, although it is not yet completed. To 
finish it will require two crores more. It remains as he 
left it. I did not go to see it, but I heard much about it. 

Again another day we went to Versailles, taking the 
Porcelain Manufactory of Sevres on our way. This is an 
ancient and very famous manufactory, and is situated on 
an eminence. There was a very extensive collection in 
the rooms of ancient and modern porcelains, among 
which some eminently beautiful articles were observed. 
There were some that were painted from works by the 
great artists of antiquity, such as Eaphael and others, 
and the estimation in which each of these works is held 
Is equal to that of the finest and grandest pictures. I 
should have wished to buy the whole for any price they 
might have named ; but these specimens are never parted 
with, are sold to no one, and never leave the works. 
The establishment belongs to the State ; and any order 
thence given, is executed. In the same manner as at the 
manufactory of tapestry, the workmen receive wages, and 
the chiefs are salaried. They told me that a new manu- 
factory has been prepared, that the present site will 
be abandoned, and the works transferred to the new 
establishment. 

We went about for a long time from one department to 
another, until we arrived at a place where they were 



chap, v.] . France, Geneva. 259 

manufacturing, painting, and baking the porcelain, which 
we went and inspected also. From thence we returned 
through all the places we had seen, and they presented 
to us, as a souvenir of our visit, two large and most mag- 
nificent vases,* together with two cases, each containing a 
very choice service of tea things. 

Proceeding from thence, we reached Versailles. At his 
residence, M. Buffet, President (of the Assembly), met us, 
and we went hito the Chamber of the (National) Council 
of Deputies. We passed through a gallery where were 
arranged most beautiful statues in marble of ancient kings^ 
ministers, magnates, commanders, and the like, all carved 
by the old masters; and so reached the Assembly itself; 
taking our seat in a chamber. Seven hundred deputies 
were present at that sitting, and on the upper tiers of 
benches a great company of women and men were looking 
on. This hall in which the Assembty now sits was 
formerly the theatre of (the palace of) Versailles, and was 
Imilt by Louis XIV. 

As the President, M. Buffet, had been away at his own 
house for the purpose of our reception, his substitute was 
acting as President in his stead. The two sons of Louis- 
Philippe, d'Aumale and Joinville, were also present. The 

* Of the two vases, each in the Etruscan style and of the value of 
about two hundred guineas, one was ornamented with a view of the 
Chateau of Pierrefonds, the other with one of the Chateau of Pau, both 
by Jules Andre. Of the tea-services, one for four persons, with its tray, 
painted by F. Rolard and representing a hunt and view of Fontainebleau, 
was of the value of about six hundred, and the other, for six persons, also 
with its tray, painted by Devilly, and representing the ceramic art, of 
.about three hundred and fifty pounds. 

s 2 



260 Diary of a Tottr in Etirope. [chap, t, 

deputies of the Left and of the Eight were all in their 
places. Those of the Left are in opposition to the present 
administration. Several generals and others spoke, 
among them being General Noisel. His voice was very 
slender and weak ; no one could hear what he said. In- 
cessantly did the deputies of the Left call out for him to 
speak louder. It was a strange wrangle. The President- 
substitute continually rang a bell to induce silence. It is 
a difficult matter for any one to speak in this Assembly, 
It was very interesting to witness, and we sat there an 
hour. 

Eising at length, Ave returned by the same way we came. 

Marshal MacMahon had then arrived. We now went 

over all the rooms, halls, and galleries of (the palace of) 

Versailles with the Marshal, M. Buffet, and others. 

These apartments are extremely handsome. There were 

so many pictures, statues of marble, and other objects, 

that one forgets them. There were some grand pictures, 

the works of Horace Yernet the painter, very beautifully 

drawn, pictures of battles with the Arabs of Algeria in the 

days of Louis-Philippe, &c, of the battles of Napoleon 

III. in Italy with the Austrians, &c, of those of Napoleon 

I., &c, and also many of older masters. So that, should 

one wish to survey them all carefully, he would not finish 

them in a year. The greater part of these rooms are 

now converted into offices for the deputies, ministers, and 

others. By reason of the great traffic of feet, and the 

scattering of papers, the heaping of registers, the placing 

of chairs and tables for the ministers, their secretaries 

and clerks, the halls are degraded from their majesty. 



chap, v.] France, Geneva. 261 

I was much fatigued. I came down and drove about 
the gardens for a while in a carriage. They had opened 
the source of the fountains of a part of the garden. 
These were therefore playing, and produced a very 
agreeable effect. 

We now returned home, passing by the village of Ville 
d'Avray, St. Cloud, Boulogne, the Bois de Boulogne, 
and so to our quarters. At St. Cloud several battalions 
of troops were encamped in tents, and at Boulogne there 
was a good market where all kinds of commodities were 
collected. 

To-day at Versailles, among the statues I saw one of 
Joan of Arc that the princess Marie, daughter of Louis- 
Philippe, had executed, and was extremely beautiful. 
The princess died young, unmarried. 

I one day went to see the Zoological and Botanical 
Gardens (the Jardin des Plantes), which was a long 
distance from our residence. The Director of the es- 
tablishment, named M. Blanchard, of whose days seventy 
and five years had passed away, came to meet us, with 
his assistant and others. A large company was present, 
from the quarters hi the outskirts of Paris, generally 
peasants and artizans, who had come with their wives to 
see the sight. 

These gardens are of great extent. In the botanical sec- 
tion, most beautiful flowers were planted out in great taste. 
Every flower and plant in this part is numbered and 
ticketed, and all plants and medicinal herbs that are em- 
ployed in the curative art are here raised and propagated. 
Professors of botany and zoology are constantly at work 



262 Diary of a Tottr in Europe. [chap. v. 

there investigating and teaching the qualities and proper- 
ties of each vegetable product. 

"We first visited the hothouses, where they raise, grow, 
and multiply tropical plants, and thence proceeded to 
view the animals. Here they keep, shut up in cages, all 
kinds of animals, whether birds, or carnivorous or 
herbivorous beasts. Birds great and small, of all' 
colours, and beautiful, beasts of prey and others, of 
every sort were seen. The establishment is of greater 
extent than the zoological gardens of other countries ; 
but every animal that I saw here, I had seen elsewhere, 
with the exception of a few I had not yet observed. 

One of these was a large and strongly built bird, called 
the Cassowary, that is brought from Australia. It is a 
very singular creature, about the size of an ostrich, which 
it also somewhat resembles ; but it is of a different species. 
Another was a quadruped, called the Tapir, from South 
America, very much resembling the rhinoceros, but 
smaller, being an animal half way between a rhinoceros, 
a pig, and a calf. There were some savage, ferocious 
tigers, and some curious leopards ; also a species of brute 
between a tiger and a leopard, called the Jaguar; but 
more approaching the leopard. It is a very ferocious, 
bloodthirsty creature. The leopards had given birth to 
two young cubs, very graceful. There were some African 
maned-lions, together with lions of other kinds, and one 
elephant. In one large cage there were about fifty 
monkeys; and there were also various kinds of ante- 
lopes, &c. 

A source of the greatest interest was a collection of 



chap, v.] France, Geneva. 263 

dead animals, kept in the museum of the establishment, 
winch I had not seen in any of the countries hitherto 
visited. We here saw animals of every class, fishes from 
all seas, and other creatures, such as snakes, crabs, croco- 
diles, tortoises, and all kinds of birds, which afforded 
much pleasure and gratification. For instance, the 
fishes, small or large, up to the crocodile, are arranged in 
such fashion that one cannot say whether they are alive 
or dead. Every bird, again, small or large, that is on 
earth, from the little humming-birds of the New World, 
up to the ostrich, all are there. The humming-bird (lit. 
fly-bird, bee-bird) is a bird of the most beautifully-coloured 
plumage, and small — no larger than large bees (wasps, or 
hornets) ; but all its parts are those of a bird. There is 
no bird in the world prettier than these, and they are 
found nowhere else, but in the New World only. 

The whole of these dead birds have been procured in 
pairs, male and female, with their eggs, and with the very 
nests they had constructed for themselves; and are 
arranged in glass cases. They are placed in the postures 
they assume when they sit on their eggs in their nests, 
and in such a manner that they cannot be distinguished 
from live birds. Beginning with the eggs of the humming- 
birds, than which no others are smaller, being less in size 
than a pistachio-nut, up to the egg of the rukh and the 
ostrich, the largest of all eggs, have they collected in one 
room. But I there saw four bird's-eggs, each of which 
was of the size of a large melon, and they informed me 
that the kind of bird to which they belonged is no longer 
in existence in the world. These four eggs have been 



264 Diary of a Tour in Etirope. [chap. v. 

found and ultimately brought from Africa and the New- 
World after great research and much travel in every 
region of the earth. They lifted these eggs ; they were 
very heavy. According to analogy, the chick that would 
come out of one of those eggs would be of the size of a 
very large domestic cock. The birds called Simurg and 
Rukh, that we read of in books, must have been the pro- 
duce of eggs such as these. At present, they would not 
sell one of those eggs for a thousand tumans (400L). 

Strange and marvellous fishes were seen, which, in 
respect of immensity of bulk and singularity of form, 
admit of no description. Monkeys, too, of curious or 
uncouth forms, were there of various classes ; one kind 
I>eing of the bulk of a horse, another no larger than a rat. 
According to their varying sizes, these were also arranged 
in like manner, as though alive. Among them w^as one 
species called the Gorilla, that is found in Africa, bigger 
and taller than a tiger, with its bulk and size, its strength 
and muscular limbs, its claws, feet, and teeth. Its stature 
was twice that of a man, or even more. There were a 
pair of them, male and female ; the latter being the 
smaller. 

Another of the monkey tribe, a native of the islands of 
Borneo, Sumatra, and Timor, is the Orang-outang, 
smaller than the gorilla, but still well worthy of remark. 
It is very large and fierce. 

They had placed a tortoise upon a table, which was of 
the size of a donkey, — extremely large. That, too, was a 
wondrous thing, that required to be seen in order to be 
imagined. 



chap, v.] France, Geneva. 265 

There were some enormous snakes, which, in reality, 
are the dragons of which one hears. They had arranged 
.an artificial tree, and around it had coiled the folds of one 
•of those large snakes, in a manner to he mistaken for a 
live reptile. It was wonderful to look at. Not that they 
have increased or diminished hy one hair's hreadth the 
size of these creatures with a view to deceive people by 
artifice ; but, whether large or small, every thing in that 
museum is a real animal, such as the Lord of the universe 
created it ; and the Franks have realty, with great trouble 
and at a fabulous expense, brought them together from 
the uttermost parts of the earth, for the advancement of 
knowledge, the increase of observation, and the display to 
the people of God's power in His wondrous works of 
creation ; the same unceasing care being bestowed upon 
their safe-keeping. Truly have they incurred great 
trouble therein. Were a man actually to sit for five 
months in the contemplation of these dead animals, bones, 
and birds, he might then come to understand something 
fibout them ; but what can I learn in a quarter of an hour? 

We came down ; and although I had no time to spare 
for the view, I went to the cages of the live animals, 
looked at them all, and then returned home. 

The Director, whose age was seventy-five or perhaps 
eighty, went about everywhere with me, and walked a 
good league. As often as I requested him to turn back, 
so often did he come again. He said that in his life he 
had never taken intoxicating liquors, and had always 
cautioned others against their use. There is in Firan- 
gistan a special society, with many members, who are 



266 Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap. v. 

continually engaged in furthering the cause of a total 
abandonment of drink ; but this is a very difficult under- 
taking, and especially in Firangistan. 

The megatherium is (the name of) an animal that 
lived on the earth before Noah's flood, of the same family 
as the elephant, but larger, and without a trunk. They 
have discovered its bones, and have placed them in (the 
museum of) the zoological gardens. 

Paris has many theatres. One evening we, too, went 
to a large theatre. The whole of the Diplomatic Body, 
with then wives, Marshal MacMahon, M. Buffet, the 
whole of the officials, and others, as well as those of our 
suite, were present. It was a very large theatre of great 
estimation, with five tiers of seats, and many chandeliers. 
The audience was very numerous. Dancers danced, and 
singers sang, beautifully ; more especially in a scene laid 
beneath the sea, when the sea-nynrphs danced. 

We one night visited the Elysee for an evening party. 
All the ladies of celebrity of the capital, the Foreign 
Representatives and their wives, the officials of France, 
and the Persians, were invited. They gave a magni- 
ficent exhibition of fireworks and an illumination hi the 
grounds of the palace, which are laid out as a very 
beautiful garden, with basins of water, fountains, lawns, 
and trees. The middle of the garden was lighted up like 
moonlight by means of electric lamps worked from the 
roof of the palace, which threw then light on to the 
ground. The men and women who walked about in this 
artificial light, wore an aspect and acquired a charm that 
were very peculiar. 



chap, v.] France, Geneva. 267 

We went up to the first floor and took a turn through 
the apartments. It is a magnificent place, and has some 
handsome Gobelins tapestries. It was built by the Comte 
d'Evreux a hundred and fifty years ago. After his death 
the mistress of Louis XV., Pompadour, bought it and 
greatly extended it. "When she died, it reverted to the 
King. Subsequently it was purchased by Murat, the 
brother-in-law of Napoleon I. Well ; after a stroll, we 
returned home. 

On another evening De Broglie — the Foreign Minister, 
gave an evening-party and buffet at the Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs, which is near to the Corps Legislatif, our 
residence. In the evening, although the distance from 
our quarters to the Ministry was very short, we were 
conducted with all honours in a carriage escorted by 
cavalry, &c, and taken round the circuit of the palace to 
the Minister's reception. Feasts and receptions had 
always been accustomed to be given at the Ministry ; but, 
since the Prussian war, and the emigration of the Govern- 
ment to Versailles, up to this evening, the edifice had 
been closed. Marshal MacMahon, M. Buffet, the whole 
of the officials, generals, and Foreign Bepresentatives, 
besides others of the nobility and magnates, women and 
men, were present. As the bride of the Minister of 
Foreign Affairs was the mistress of the house, we gave 
her our hand, and strolled about the garden and apart- 
ments. In the garden there were beautiful fireworks and 
an illumination. All went off pleasantly. After an 
interval we returned home. 

On one occasion we went for a turn to Vincennes, 



J268 Diary of a Toitr in Etcrope. [chap. v. 

which is outside of Paris, to the south. It is a plain 
with meadows and woods. Napoleon III. caused avenues, 
lakes, and pleasant places to be arranged there. We 
passed through the Boulevard Prince Eugene, the Place 
du Chatelet, and the Place de la Bastille, and then 
through one of the gates of the city. These city-gates of 
Paris do not resemble the gates of Persian towns, which 
really have doors. Here the gates (barrieres) are merely 
iron railings. 

Well ; we alighted from our carriage and went to view 
the fortifications and ditch of Paris. The parapet of the 
fortification, which is really the scarp of the ditch of the 
city, has an elevation of nine ells (31 feet 6 inches), 
besides one ell (42 inches) of earthwork upon the wall, 
making ten ells altogether (35 feet). Nine ells are of 
hewn stone, of the size of (Roman) tiles ; one ell of 
earth, and on that a coping of large hewn stones. At 
the angles of the wall, also, they have used large hewn 
stones. But the counterscarp of the ditch — the bank 
next the country, has not so great a height, and is so 
greatly sloped that one can walk down it into the ditch. 
The width of the ditch is also ten ells (35 feet). The 
w T hole city of Paris is surrounded in this fashion, and 
these works were constructed in the time of Louis- 
Philippe about thirty years ago. 

Returning, we again mounted, and arrived at a lake on 
the border of a river (the Marne) with very excellent 
water. This was a charming spot, with abundance of 
flowers and verdure. We crossed a bridge and went on 
to an island in a lake, where they had constructed a 



chap, v.] France, Geneva. 269- 

small pavilion with stone columns, &c, upon a pavement 
of flags ; and beneath this they had dug a cavern, where 
stones (stalactites) were pendent as though in a cavern of" 
snow. From above, a hole was opened with a small tube 
inserted, from which a thread of water trickled on to the 
stones and fell in drops as though it had been a natural 
phenomenon. It was a very pleasant sight. We sat 
there awhile. There were several Franks there and some 
women, with whom we conversed. We then walked on. 

On this island there was an hotel, where they had built 
a pretty pavilion from which a band should play. They 
brought us two boats, into which we got, and, pulling 
about awhile, we went to a place where our carriages were- 
waiting. We came up out of the boats, mounted our 
carriages, and proceeding to another gate (of the city), 
we drove along the Boulevard Dumesnil towards our 
quarters. 

In a street near to a public building we observed a 
large concourse of people standing and waiting for us.. 
It became evident that General Pajol had given notice to 
the Sisters of Charity. We alighted and entered their 
school. One of the priests spoke Persian well. He had 
been for some time a teacher of the local Eomanist 
children in the school at Khusraw-abad, near Ururniyya 
in Azarbayjan. A considerable number of women who 
have renounced the world and who dress in black, with 
white bonnets of a curious shape, like the ears of 
elephants, were there, and give themselves up, hi a meri- 
torious way, to the instruction of their pupils. Their 
scholars are in six classes ; the school, too, has six 



■2 jo Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. v. 

stories, each being appropriated to one class of the pupils. 
Beginning with children of three and four years old, up 
to girls and boys of twenty study there, there being a 
thousand of them maintained. The most part have been 
brought there as orphans ; they (the sisters) act as servants 
and give them instruction in every science, — in mathe- 
matics, in geography, languages, sewing, flower-making, 
<&c. The girls make very pretty flowers, and gave us a 
beautiful bouquet of them as a souvenir. About two 
hundred children of four years old were ranged very 
nicely and orderly on the stages of the gallery in the 
class-room, who had been taught by an aged religious 
woman, their preceptress, a song or hymn in French 
verse commemorative of our arrival, which they had 
learnt by heart, and which they now sang in a strain of 
perfect melody. Grown up girls, too, on the upper stages 
sang songs and poetry very sweetly. The manners, the 
way in which the children and pupils were there attended 
to, gave me great pleasure. 

We then returned, and hi the evening went to the 
circus. We there saw such feats of horsemanship and 
the like, as surpassed imagination. For instance, one 
horse sat down at table and ate food, while another horse 
went, took with his mouth a napkin, a basket, some wine, 
<&c, and brought them, performing the office of a servant. 
Another horse turned (or spun) a large jar with his 
fore-foot. The trainer said : " Be lame," and instantly 
the horse limped ; he said : " Be dead," and the horse 
lay down (as though) dead. And thus of other feats. 

A sculptor, who makes marble statues, came each day 



chap, v.] France, Geneva. 271 

to our quarters to make our statue of clay. He exercised 
wonderful patience, working from early morn till dusk, 
and produced an excellent likeness of us in clay, which 
lie will reproduce in marble. The first is made of a kind 
of clay special to this artistic work, and with which they 
prepare the likeness correctly of the subject in hand ; 
next they prepare it in plaster ; and after that cut it out 
■of the marble. According to what he said, he will, God 
willing, send our statue to Tehran in four months' time. 

In Paris there are numerous coffee-shops ; but, accord- 
ing to what was told me, there are two coffee-shops more 
-especially held in very high repute, where there are 
music, dancing, and singing, and which are called " Cafes 
Chantants." They are places like theatres, within the 
city, and near to one another. There are there many 
trees and beautiful avenues ; every evening they are 
lighted up with manj r lamps, and they begin, as soon as 
the sun goes down, to play music. Numerous chairs are 
placed ; and opposite to where the public sit, is the edifice 
of the coffee-shop. Mimics, singers, dancers, rope- 
dancers, acrobats, and others, play and perform or sing 
within the building in the presence of the public. 

The acrobat's performance is a curious sight. He is a 
young man, a g}Tnnast ; he wears a dress of the colour of 
the skin, tight and close-fitting, so that he appears to be 
naked. He takes a child of four or five years of age, — 
the ugliest little urchin imaginable, and also a lad of 
twelve or thirteen, whom he plays upon his hands or feet, 
or throws up into the air, in a manner similar to what 
one might do with a little mouse. In whatsoever way he 



2.72 Diajy of a Tour in Ettrope. [chap, tv 

may throw them up, they alight on the ground on their 
feet ; and in an instant, placing the child, or the lad, on 
the top of his head, or the tip of a finger, he spins him 
round, tosses him up, catches him again ; and they, too y 
on their part also, while on his head, or hand, or foot, 
turn summersaults in a way impossible to describe. "When 
he tosses the child up, he certainly sends him five or six 
ells high (17 J to 21 feet), the child turns a summersault 
in the air, and alights on the ground on his feet. 

True, I did not myself go to these coffee-shops ; but 
such is what I heard, and such is what I witnessed at the 
circus. 

This circus is open in the summer-time ; but there is a 
winter circus also, at a considerable distance from our 
palace. 

There are many handsome hotels in Paris. The 
" Grand Hotel," which is the largest and best of all, 
being like a magnificent royal palace, contains all the 
articles of splendour one can desire, while every kind of 
food and drink are always ready. 

A garden exists in Paris, called the " Jar din Mabille," 
which is a very fine garden and is open every evening. It 
has a strong iron gate, where, from each individual who 
enters they take five shillings Persian (4s. English). 
Every evening about two thousand visitors come there. 
The garden is lighted up with lamps innumerable ; there 
are beautiful avenues, basins of water, places like natural 
hills with cascades or waterfalls ; and hi the middle of 
the garden a pavilion where an orchestra performs. It 
also has coffee-shops and handsome apartments well 



chap, v.] France, Geneva. 273 

lighted with lamps. Beautiful women of every de- 
scription frequent this place, which is a curiosity in its 
way. There is a garden like it in London also ; but 
neither of them came under our observation. 

It is said that the population of Paris is about four 
crores (two millions). 

While at Paris, intelligence came from Tehran that 
the Fakhru-'d-Dawla, our aunt, daughter of the (former) 
Prince Kegent (the Shah's grandfather, 'Abbas Mirza, 
son of Fath-'Ali Shah), and a most venerable woman, 
had passed to another world. It was a source of grief, 
sorrow, and sadness. 

In Paris, England, and Germany, there are some 
wonderful horses, of strong frame, with legs, feet, and 
hoofs like those of elephants, that draw very heavy loads. 
I saw many of them, harnessed to carts and waggons. 

A custom prevails in Firangistan for each family to be 
dressed all in clothes of the same colour. For instance, 
four sisters must be all attired alike. It is a pretty 
fashion. 

Saturday, 23rd (l^tli July). — Left Paris for the town 
of Dijon, one of the cities of France. 

We rose early, and found Marshal MacMahon, the 
Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Austrian Ambassador, 
the President of the Assembly — M. Buffet, together with 
other French magnates, generals, and civilians, in attend- 
ance. We mounted a carriage and drove off, the Marshal, 
the Minister, and the Grand- Vazir being seated with 
us. We passed along the Boulevards des Italiens, the 
Boulevard Montmartre, the Boulevard du Chateau-d'Eau, 



2 74 Diary of a Tour in Eicrope. [chap. v. 

the Place de la Bastille, &c, where great crowds were 
collected, the weather, too, being sultry, and so arrived 
at the Gare du Midi. 

We alighted and sat awhile in one of the rooms of the 
station, where great numbers of women and men of im- 
portance, and others, had assembled. The Marshal pre- 
sented M. Vitry, who, in the time of the third Napoleon 
had been in the ministry and President of the Conseil 
d'Etat, being now the chairman of the southern railroad 
to Lyons and Dijon. The Prefet of Dijon accom- 
panies us. 

Well; after a quarter of an hour's stay, we entered 
the train, — the same, to all appearance, that had brought 
us from Cherbourg. We started, and Paris faded from 
our sight, as we travelled towards Dijon. The condition 
and appearance of the country were like those in other 
parts, everywhere cultivation, green fields, meadows, 
trees, population, in uninterrupted succession ; rivers, 
large and small, with valleys and hills, also, were seen 
now and then. The following are the names of the 
towns and stations passed on the road from Paris to 
Dijon ; viz. : Montereau, Laroche, Tonnerre, Arcy, 
Dijon. 

Well ; we travelled over the distance in six hours and 
a half to seven hours, the train going at its utmost 
speed — ten leagues per hour. We reached Dijon at 
sunset. The governor of the town, who is the prefect 
of the Cote-d'Or, is named Leon de Nassau. He and 
his deputy, with the magnates of the town, and others, 
were at the station, waiting. This magistrate was ap- 



chap, v.] France, Geneva. 275 

pointed to his post about a month ago by Marshal 
MacMahon. 

The whole of these parts of the country is named 
Burgundy, and one section of Burgundy is the Cote-d'Or, 
of which Dijon is the chief town. The crop of grapes 
is beyond all computation hereabouts, and the wines are 
celebrated, being carried to all parts of the world. Who- 
ever beholds the vineyards of these plains and hills 
becomes puzzled to know how they can all be consumed. 

We reached the town, and passed through some 
narrow streets. In . the late war this place was twice 
occupied by the troops of Prussia, and they exercised 
various kinds of molestation towards its inhabitants. 
They extracted a large ransom, and took heavy con- 
tributions in kind. We saw several women whom they 
wounded, the poor creatures having thence become 
cripples. 

A large building was observed, erected in days of yore ; 
i.e., it was reared by the Lords — the Dukes of Burgundy. 
It has, further, a high tower, like those of the public 
edifices in Persia. As this country was in ancient days 
a separate State, with an independent sovereign, they 
had made the structures of the city of great strength. 
Afterwards France incorporated it with her own 
dominions, of which it now forms an integral part. 

We noticed several very ancient churches — imposing 
old structures. One had become dilapidated, and was in 
course of repair. There was one theatre, closed at that 
season. 

We went to the residence of the governor, — a hand- 

t 2 



276 Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap. v. 



some house, recently constructed and renovated, with a 
small garden in front. Well ; we retired to rest early ► 
They manufacture a good mustard in this city. 

Sunday, 24th (20th July). — This day proceeded from 
Dijon to Geneva. In the morning the magnates of 
the town came to an audience, after which we drove to 
the station, the Grand- Vazir and the Prefect being 
seated opposite to us in the carriage, and crowds 
collected everywhere. The population of this town is 
forty thousand souls. 

To-day's journe}^ to Geneva is of seven hours' dura- 
tion, the towns along the road being as follows : Chagny, 
Macon, Bourg, Ambrieux, Culoz, Bellegarde — the last 
place in France on our road. As far as Ambrieux the 
whole distance was across plains or small hills and 
vales ; but from that station onwards we met with high 
mountains and deep valleys, the river Rhone flowing on 
our right in a valley, after issuing from the Lake of 
Geneva. It goes on to Lyons and other places, and 
flows into the Mediterranean near to Marseilles. Its 
source is in Mount Saint- Gothard, in the Alps. The 
same quantity of water that flows into the lake (of 
Geneva) leaves it again, being then called the Ehone. 

W ell ; we breakfasted in the train, which travelled at a 
very rapid rate. When we had passed the station at 
Ambrieux, the whole country became hill and dale, huge 
mountains on both sides of the road, villages, and many 
beautifully-pleasant streams of water. By degrees, as 
we proceeded, we successively passed through several 
" holes," one being of great length, and occupying five 



chap, v.] France, Geneva. 277 

minutes in the transit. When we had traversed these 
mountains and valleys, a small quantity of level country 
came in sight, and then again all was mountainous in 
general. These mountains have snow on them, the 
Alps, Mont Blanc, and peaks of the mountains of Savoy 
and Italy coming now into view. 

We arrived at Geneva at sunset. The President of 
the Canton of Geneva is named M. Ceresol, the Presi- 
dent of the Council of Geneva is M. Eugene Bopel. 
These, with the Swiss Envoy who was in Paris, the 
magnates of the town, and General Dufour — a man 
ninety years of age, who served in the armies of the 
first Napoleon, who is greatly esteemed in Switzerland, 
and is celebrated as a geographical cartographer, were 
awaiting us. There, the territory of France being at an 
end, the French officials in attendance upon us took 
leave and returned. Their names were as follows : 
General Pajol, General Arture, Colonel Chevron, M. 
Biberstein. 

We stopped in a room at the station ; the President 
made a speech, and we gave a reply. We then mounted 
an open carriage with the Grand- Vazir and the two 
Presidents, and drove off. Our quarters are in the 
Hotel de Berg. This hotel was at no great distance ; but 
there was no possibility to get through the streets, by 
reason of the dense crowds. Although several policemen 
were on duty, they could not repress and drive back the 
people. Women, men, old and young, as also children, 
were all mixed up together indiscriminately; and the 
horses exerted themselves in such a manner that it 



278 Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap. v. 

wanted but little for an accident to happen to the 
carriage. The horses and the people were so jammed 
together, that the latter were near being drawn under 
the wheels. Children wept ; girls and boys shrieked 
from the great pressure. 

At length, after a thousand perils, we reached our 
quarters, a very imposing edifice. Above and below it 
contains numerous apartments, and resembles a kingly 
palace. The greater part of the larger buildings seen in 
Europe, and especially in this city, are hotels. The 
Ehone flows by the front of the hotel ; its water is very 
light of digestion and very sweet. Owing to its clearness 
it assumes an azure colour. In the middle of the river 
opposite to the hotel there is a small island with trees, 
and around it a railing. It communicates with the shores 
by several bridges ; but there are two long wooden 
bridges on stout piers that are very important, and that 
lead to the hotel. 

The city is on both sides of the river, and it possesses 
many very great buildings, excellent colleges, and spa- 
cious streets beautifully paved with stone. The whole 
of its buildings are of five and six stories ; but, in spite 
of this height, the city is handsome and captivating. 
It has a hospitable population, and the manufactories of 
watches and musical boxes of this city are well known. 
All musical instruments in boxes, all singing nightingales 
and crowing cocks, that act by mechanism, are made here 
and exported to other countries. 

The whole of our suite is lodged in this same hotel. 
The method of government in the Swiss Confederation 



chap, v.] France^ Geneva. 279 

is a thing unique in its species, and their customs are 
different. They have no house or place specially ap- 
pointed for government ; and for this reason our quarters 
were at an hotel. Other sovereigns and people of import- 
ance that come to this city can have no other quarters 
than at an hotel. 

The Alp mountains and Mont Blanc* are seen from 
the outlook of the hotel. They are much covered with 
snow; but the Persian mountain of Damawand is con- 
siderably more lofty than these, and more picturesque. 

Dr. Tholozan, who had gone to the town of St. Etienne, 
in France, has not yet rejoined us. 

Monday, 25th (21st July). — Kemained at Geneva. To- 
day we went on board a Swiss steamship, and proceeded 
on a jaunt round the Lake of Geneva. The whole of 
our suite, two of the head men of Switzerland, the Swiss 
and the Italian Envoys to France, M. Dubeski — Austrian 
Envoy to Tehran, and recently arrived from Austria, 
with others of the Franks, were present. 

The right-hand shore of the lake was at first, for a 
short distance, Swiss territory ; after that it belongs to 
the province of Savoy, dependent on France. After the 

* Black's Atlas of 1856, gives the height of Mont Blanc as 15,781 feet ; 
that of "Demawand" at 15,000 feet; of Kazbek, 15,345 feet; and of 
Elburz, 17,796 feet — both these latter being in the Caucasus. Mr. Grove's 
letter in The Times of 26th August, 1874, gives an altitude of 18,500 feet 
to Elburz. Mr. Grove, however, places the Caucasus in Europe, and 
dethrones Mont Blanc from its supremacy as the highest in our quarter of 
the globe, raising Elburz to its vacated pre-eminence. General Monteith, 
in the map to his "Ears and Erzeroum," published in 1856, gives the 
same height to Elburz, 18,514 feet, but assigns to Kazbek an altitude of 
]6,518 feet— J. W. E. 



280 Diary of a Toitr in Eicrope. [chap. v. 

war that Napoleon III. waged against Austria, in which 
he defeated her and took from her the province of 
Lombardy, — a part of Italy that the Austrians had 
occupied for several years, restoring the same to the 
Italians, Italy, in acknowledgment of the toil of France, 
ceded the two provinces of Nice and Savoy to the French 
Government, the territory of Savoy reaching to the 
shore of the Lake of Geneva, and actually held by 
France. Again, on the other hand, the river Rhone, 
after passing the city of Geneva by a very few feet, 
enters the territory of France. 

Well ; when we first moved away from the port of 
Geneva, the width of the lake was inconsiderable, 
widening out by degrees, so that the greatest breadth of 
the lake is more than two leagues, while its depth is from 
fifty to a hundred ells (175 to 350 feet). They said that 
everywhere in it the largest steamers can navigate, while 
there is not one large rock or island in the middle or 
along the shore of the lake. At whatsoever time a 
storm may arise, great waves are thrown up. The 
length of the lake is twelve leagues, and we compassed 
it with our steamer in six hours. The ship ran three 
leagues an hour. The circuit of the lake by land, how- 
ever, must be thirty leagues. There are three or four 
steamboats belonging to a Swiss company, under Swiss 
colours, that perform voyages every day, carrying pas- 
sengers and goods; and there are also two or three 
steamers under French colours. Many sailing vessels 
also are in use. The population of the shores belonging 
to France is less than that on the Swiss parts. All 



chap, v.] France, Geneva. 28 r 

round the lake are lofty mountains, with the Alps visible 
in the distance, snowy and picturesque. 

We partook of a frugal breakfast on board the 
-steamer, and then started. We passed the further end 
of the French shore, the valley by which the Rhone falls 
into the lake, and arrived before the town of Vevay. 
This is a very pretty town on the shore of the lake, 
with a western aspect. On the shores of the lake and on 
the skirts of the mountains detached residences were 
seen. The whole of the produce hereabouts is grapes. 
In whatever direction we looked, from the foot to the 
very summit of the peaks of the mountains, wherever it 
was practicable, and the soil was capable of being 
worked, there were grapevines. In the middle of the 
town there were many fountains, the sources of which were 
in the higher parts of the mountains ; so that, these being 
at great elevations, the fountains threw their jets to con- 
siderable heights, and produced a very good effect. 
There were some very grand hotels. 

M. Ceresol, the President, whose native place was 
Vevay, had invited us to a breakfast, and had caused the 
repast to be prepared at an hotel named "Les Trois 
Couronnes ;" i.e., the Three Crowns. We went ashore 
from the vessel and mounted a carriage. We noticed 
some most beautiful women. Great numbers of Ameri- 
cans, English, and others, come to travel in these parts. 
Citizens of the town and foreigners crowded the streets 
in great numbers. We entered the hotel, which is a 
magnificent edifice. The King of Holland, William or 
Wilhelm, who has been some time travelling here, was 



282 Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap. v. 

standing in a hall of the hotel, waiting for us. On 
arriving we shook hands with him, and entered into con- 
versation, after which we went to table and sat down. 
There was a most elaborate breakfast, at which musicians 
played. The whole of our suite were at table, and the 
King of Holland sat opposite to us, so that we conversed 
at great length. 

Breakfast finished, we rose and went for a stroll in a 
garden in front of the hotel on the shore of the lake. 
Great numbers of women and maidens, as also of all 
classes of men, were there. As we were yet strolling 
about, the King of Holland came and said : "I wish to 
take leave." We shook hands. 

Going now to a shop, we purchased some very beautiful 
panoramic views of the Alps and other places; thence, 
mounting a carriage, we returned by the way we had 
come, went on board our ship, and again got under way. 
We passed several towns and cities of note on the Swiss 
shore of the lake ; among these were Lausanne, Nyon, 
Eolle, Morges, and Cully, arriving at Geneva after dark, 
where they had arranged a beautiful illumination and 
exhibition of fireworks, both on the shore and on board 
the vessels. After these we went home. 

From the shores of the lake the}*- have laid down two 
lines of railway on the Swiss territory to the valley and 
town of Sion. On the right-hand side of the lake is the 
mountain chain of the Alps; on the left, that of the 
Jura. 

Tuesday, 26th {22nd July). — In the morning after 
breakfasting, we mounted a carriage, crossed the Khone, 



chap, v.] France, Geneva. 283 



O' 



and went for a drive in the direction of the mountains of 
Savoy, which are French territory. On our route the 
Sani'u-'d-Dawla received his conge to proceed to the city 
of Turin and make arrangements for quartering our 
suite. 

This day, also, the 'I'tizadu-'s-Saltana, the 'Lnadu-'d~ 
Dawla, the 'Ala'u-'d-Dawla, Mirza Malkam Khan, the 
Hakimu-'l-Mamalik, and M. Eichard also set out for the 
city of Vienna. 

Well; we drove on and passed beyond the environs- 
of Geneva. Our carriage-road was all uphill, tortuous, 
and lop-sided. The weather, too, was excessively sultry. 
As one passes beyond the city of Geneva, one comes- 
on to the territory of Savoy and France, the territories 
of France and Switzerland being intermixed. There 
were some small and picturesque villages along the road,, 
perched on eminences and at the foot of hills. We 
crossed a considerable stream that comes down from the 
mountains and valleys of Savoy and ultimately flows into 
the Rhone. We drove up an ascending road which 
terminates at a handsome hotel ; but before reaching the 
hotel I mounted the horse of the Yaminu-'d-Dawla, and 
Ibrahim Khan mounted that of the Husamu-'d-Dawla. 
Other horses were also procured from the Franks, on 
which the rest of our suite mounted. The Mu'tamadu-'l- 
Mulk went on in the carriage to the hotel. 

We now pushed on for the summit of a hill that over- 
hung the hotel, the others following us. One Frank, 
proprietor of the horses, who was a man of a certain 
position and kept good steeds, was also of the party ; but 



2&/\. Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap. v. 

lie could not climb up with us to the mountain-top on 
•horseback. He followed us everywhere on foot. The 
road was bad, and lay through a tangled thicket, so as 
not to be at all distinguishable. We made our way, 
however, somehow or other, through the bushes and 
trees, arriving ultimately at the hill-top. Here the Lake 
of Geneva, the whole of the snow-clad peaks of the Alps 
of Savoy, with Mont Blanc and others burst into view. 
After admiring this spectacle for a time, we retreated 
from the intense heat to the shade of a wood, and there 
sat down. Again mounting, we descended by a very bad 
path and went to the hotel. Great numbers of women 
and men, travellers and others, were seen on our road 
and in the hotel, where we found no other refreshment 
than iced water. We sat down a while in the small 
garden of the hotel, and washed our hands and face. At 
this juncture, with all our fatigue, and in spite of the 
heat, the Mu'tamadu-'l-Mulk came to say that the priest, 
with the local substitute of the district, a portion of 
France, desired to have an audience. I gave permission, 
and they came. The substitute made a speech as though 
I had arrived in the city of Paris, and to it we gave an 
answer. After that, we returned home by the same road 
followed in our ascent. As the carriage had to go gently 
downhill, we got home late, i.e., it was dark before we 
reached our quarters. 

Wednesday, 27th (23rd July). — To-day we are invited 
to breakfast at the Hotel de la Paix by the Swiss Con- 
federation, of which the Presidents are come. 

We mounted our carriage and went. The distance 



chap, v.] France, Geneva. 285, 

was very little. Alighting, we went upstairs. We re- 
mained a short time in a room, and the Italian Envoy to 
Switzerland, the Swiss Envoy to Paris, whose name is 
Dr. Kerk, the Prussian Envoy to Switzerland — a son of 
Prince Gortchakoff, the Prime Minister of Russia, who- 
had come here from Berne, were received in audience, 
together with the others. 

After an interval we went to table and took our seats. 
The princes, Grand- Vazir, and the rest, were all present. 
A beautiful gold box, enamelled, including a watch and a 
singing bird, and also a musket, as used by the troops of 
Switzerland, with a thousand balls, were presented on 
the part of the citizens of Geneva. . 

The breakfast was very protracted. There was a band 
playing. Crowds of women and men were in the streets, 
on the stairs, and in the rooms. Breakfast over, we 
returned home. 

Two hours later the President and others came again. 
We mounted a carriage and went to see some localities. 
The whole of those who sat down to the breakfast were 
present, excepting our princes. 

We first went to a building where are collected sets of 
philosophical apparatus and some other things, such as a. 
museum, dead animals and the bones of these, just like 
those seen in Paris ; only that the collection here, in com- 
parison with those of Paris and elsewhere, were very much 
less in number, and contemptible. The professor of 
physics made a room dark and showed us some experi- 
ments and interesting sights produced by the power of 
electricity in coloured glass vessels; but as, during this 



286 Diary of a Tour in Ettrope. [chap. v. 

exhibition, the curtains were let down and the windows 
closed, the room was very dark and hot. We then walked 
through some other rooms, and from hence proceeded to 
another building. 

This was an Exhibition of paintings by Swiss and other 
artists, of which I purchased six or seven very beautiful. 
In one room there was also a plan of the whole Swiss 
territory, which General Dufour has prepared with the 
labour of many years. To say the truth, so beautiful a 
plan had never been seen before. Village by village, 
valley by valley, the mountains and the rivers are all laid 
down in relief. 

After admiring this plan for a time we descended, got 
into our carriage, and went for a drive. We were also 
engaged to a party in the afternoon at the gardens and 
summer-residence of M. Favre, one of the wealthy nobles 
of Switzerland. 

Those gardens were outside the town on the shore of 
the Lake of Geneva, in the direction of the territories of 
Switzerland, and a good distance away. We passed near 
to the mansion and summer-residence of the famous 
Rothschild, and so reached the house of M. Favre, which 
is very handsome. Many beautiful ladies, of the nobility 
and otherwise, were there present. We sat a little, 
strolled about a little, and conversed. The lawns and 
the view over the lake and its surroundings were superb. 
We returned at sunset ; but the President and the others 
remained. 

We came home ; but we passed a most uncomfortable 
night from the noise of the carriages, the roar of thunder? 



chap, v.] . France, Geneva. 287 

the plashing of rain, the striking of clocks, and the 
jangling of bells in the various hotels. 

The State of the Swiss Confederation is a republic, 
and they have very strange customs of administration. 
It has altogether a population of five crores (2 J millions), 
and is subdivided into twenty-two cantons. Each canton 
has a President, a Government, and an exchequer apart. 
There is a Supreme Council of seven members, which 
has its President, and he is superior to the others ; but 
one by one these can give no orders concerning public 
affairs of importance or otherwise. The twenty-two 
(Cantonal Presidents) report to this (Council of) seven, 
and these, acting in concert, and each appending his 
signature, issue the necessary decrees. In reality, they 
have no President- General or Absolute Ruler in any one 
of the cantons or towns ; but, whenever the whole agree 
together as to any matter, it is put in force ; otherwise, 
not. This is a state of affairs the exposition and eluci- 
dation of which is extremely difficult, and our Diary is 
not sufficiently voluminous to embrace a commentary on 
the laws of the government and details of the regulations 
of the Swiss State. More than we have given is unneces- 
sary also. They have no standing army at all. When- 
ever a war breaks out, they arm and drill the peasantry, 
and lead them to battle. In time of war they can 
assemble an army of a hundred thousand men. The 
seven regents of the State reside in the City of Berne. 

There are four rivers which have their fountain head 
in the mountain of St. Gothard, one of the Alps, and 
belonging to Switzerland. Two of these are very large ; 



2 88 Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap, v. 

one, the Khine, falls into the Lake of Constance ; the 
other, the Ehone, flows into the Lake of Geneva. Both 
issue again from those lakes. 

Thursday, Z8th (Mth July). — We proceeded this day 
from Geneva to Turin, the ancient capital of the kingdom 
of Sardinia and Piedmont, which now, after wars with 
Austria, the. conquest of the provinces of Lombardy and 
Venetia, the' four strong fortresses of the Quadrilateral, 
the annexation of Naples with the island of Sicily, and 
the occupation of the city of Eome, -has become one 
united kingdom of importance, the kingdom of Italy, the 
capital of which is the city of Eome, the ancient capital 
of the Caesars, as afterwards of the Popes, — the chiefs of 
the (Eoman) Catholic sect, who seized upon sovereign 
power, which has been totally taken away from them in 
the days of the present king, and the capital restored to 
the united kingdom. 

Well ; we rose early in the morning and took Our seat 
in a carriage together with the President and the Grand- 
Vazlr. We entered a train and went as far as Bellegarde, 
the first French station, by the road passed over in 
coming. Thence we diverged to the road that leads to 
Turin and Italy. We passed over the valleys and the 
territories of Savoy, where all around were extensive 
vales filled with streams and trees, most charming. On 
both sides of our road were huge lofty mountains covered 
with snow, from which waterfalls innumerable leaped. 
In these localities they have constructed the iron way 
most scientifically, with immense labour, and at enormous 
cost. Everywhere is rock and mountain, acclivity or 



•chap, v.] France, Geneva. 289 

declivity ; and across the rivers enormous bridges of iron 
have been thrown. 

The country was picturesque and populous until we 
reached the city of Chambery. Before arriving there, 
however, we passed the districts of Aix les Bains, which 
are a part of Savoy, and where there was a clear and 
beautiful lake, long, deep, and narrow. At Chambery, 
the chief town of Savoy, the train stopped. The whole 
of the military officers and generals of the forces in 
garrison, the magistrates and civil functionaries, with a 
regiment of infantry, another of cavalry,. and their bands, 
were in readiness to receive us. We alighted, passed 
down in front of the troops, rejoined our train, and 
proceeded. 

All was now stupendous mountains, covered with 
forests or with snow. Waterfalls gushed from the heights 
incessantly on both sides; and so we reached Modane, 
the last station in France. Here the Italian officials 
-and generals sent to meet us were admitted to an audience. 
But the frontier between France and Italy is in the middle 
of the " hole " through Mont Cenis, the half of this 
oelonging to Italy, and the other half to France. 

Leaving Modane, we reached the " hole," and twenty- 
eight minutes elapsed ere we again issued therefrom, two 
leagues and a half, or thereabouts, being the length of 
this " hole." It is as though a hole were pierced from 
Manzariyya in the Alburz Mountains, coming out again 
at Shahristanak. It is a most wonderful work. 

At first I closed all the windows of the carriage, in 
order to prevent the entry of the smoke. After a few 



290 Diary of a Tour in Etcrope. [chap. v. 

minutes we experienced a difficulty of breathing, and I 
let down several windows, when a slight air came in. At 
times strange sounds arose as though a dragon were 
passing swiftly by and roaring; at other times, in the 
midst of the darkness another train would pass us, making 
a wonderful noise. On either side of the road now and 
then a lamp and a roadsman were seen, and we could not 
imagine how they could live in these places. At length, 
towards the end of the tunnel, as the height and diameter 
of the mountain begin gradually to decrease, some windows 
have been opened and light admitted into the "hole," 
those on the left hand being larger and those to the right 
smaller. Before we came to these windows, there was 
another long hole opened up on the left-hand side from 
the tunnel to the mountain side, for the purpose of venti- 
lating the (principal) "hole.;" and through it light and 
air are both admitted. But the whole of this tunnel, of 
two and a half leagues in length, is very dark and terrific. 
For nearly twenty years the ablest engineers of Europe- 
worked at opening out this tunnel at an enormous 
expense ; and before the hole was pierced, the road 
from France to Italy lay over the surface of the moun- 
tain, and was travelled in carriages, on horseback, or on 
mules. 

At length we emerged from the " hole " and entered 
the territory of Piedmont, of which the city of Turin is 
the capital. Again were lofty mountains, covered with 
snows and forests, and waterfalls without number, seen 
on both sides of the road ; and again did the tram pass 
through two very long " holes," and after a space, through- 



chap, v.] France, Geneva. 291 

several others ; so that altogether we must have passed 
to-day through at least eighty " holes." 

On the Italian territory the railway passes by strange 
and perilous places, such as mountain-slopes, precipices, 
deep gullies, large streams, and torrents, over which 
bridges have been made. In the construction of these 
roads many a marvellous piece of work has been carried 
out, that squares not with one's (previous) conceptions ; 
and so strongly have they built the roads and the bridges, 
that for a thousand years they will show no defect. 

The river that flows from these mountains in the 
direction of Italy is the Po ; — a mighty stream, but its 
water is black and unsavoury. It passes by the side of 
the city of Turin ; and lower down, by that of Venice,, 
flowing ultimately into the Adriatic Sea. 

As we went on, the valley became more spacious, open- 
ing out at length into a broad and level plain, a vast 
expanse covered with trees. But, before we reached the 
station at Turin, the sun had set and the atmosphere 
had darkened. 

On alighting from the train, His Most Exalted 
Majesty Victor Emmanuel II., — the Sovereign of Italy,, 
the Nawwab Prince Humbert — the Heir-Apparent, 
Prince Amadeo — second son of the Sovereign, who for 
two years exercised sovereignty in Spain, and then abdi- 
cated, M. Minghetti — the Prime Minister, M. Visconti- 
Venosta — the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Prince of 
Carignano — son of the Sovereign's paternal uncle and a 
man held in great estimation for nobleness of character,. 
Commander-in-Chief of the Italian Army, and also hold- 

u2 



292 Diary of a Tour in Eitrope. [chap. v. 

ing a post in the Navy, who, whenever the Sovereign 
goes forth on a campaign and the Heir- Apparent is also 
absent, is always appointed Regent, the Sani'u-'d-Dawla 
— who had come on beforehand, together with other 
officials, governors, and notables of the city, were at the 
station ready to meet us. 

We shook hands with the Sovereign and the princes, 
with mutual salutations ; after which, we and the Sove- 
reign took our seats in an open carriage and drove off. 
It was night, and they had prepared a beautiful illumi- 
nation. Great crowds of women and men were in the 
streets and at the windows. The town has spacious 
streets and lofty buildings of five and six stories. The 
street through which we passed is called the Street of 
Borne. 

The first open space we came to was St. Charles's 
Square, in the middle of which was an equestrian statue in 
bronze of one of the Sovereign's ancestors. After that we 
reached the square in which is the royal palace. This is 
a spacious arena, in the middle of which there is a 
marble statue of a soldier with a flag, which the people 
of Lombard}', after their emancipation from the hands of 
Austria, presented to the city of Turin. 

We arrived at the palace, alighted, and, with the 
Sovereign, went up stairs. The steps, walls, and cor- 
ridors were all of marble; the ceilings were lofty and 
highly ornamented with figures and gildings. On the 
balustrades were placed vases of marble, out of each of 
which sprang gas- fittings with several branches of great 
beauty. We passed through many rooms, all intercom- 



chap, v.] France, Geneva. 293 

nmnicating, all ornamented with ancient gildings, some 
with decorative mirrors, and all full of objects of great 
splendour, such as magnificent oil-paintings, sofas, tables, 
chairs, and the like. 

After the Sovereign had thus pointed out the whole of 
the apartments of our quarters, he took leave and went 
away. We waited a few minutes, and then went to the 
apartments of the Sovereign, which were in the same 
palace, and returned his visit. We remained there a 
short time, returned, took off our state costume, and 
made ourselves at home. 

The air of this city is extremely sultry. The Sovereign 
was out in tents at hunting-grounds high on the moun- 
tains, and came into town merely on account of our 
arrival; otherwise, he has no liking ever to remain in 
town ; winter and summer he is always out in hunting- 
places. He told me that he held the town and palace in 
detestation, that he always wished to be in the hunting- 
grounds on the mountains.* 

The age of the Sovereign is near upon sixty years; but 
he is very hale and robust, so that he does not appear 
aged. The Heir-Apparent is thirty years of age ; Prince 
Amadeo, twenty-eight. Of his two daughters, one, the 
wife of the Sovereign of Portugal, is named Marie ; the 
other, the wife of Prince Napoleon, is named the 
Princess Clotilde. The wife of the Duke of Aosta — 
that same Prince Amadeo, has been extremely unwell 

* " It is whispered that the King of Italy prefers shooting in Piedmont to 
all the pleasures of a palace." Leader in "Times," 27th August, 1874, 
The paragraph in the text was first read by me on that day— a singular 
coincidence. — J. W. R. 



294 Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap. v. 

these last few days ; and his apartments also are in the 
lower story of the palace in which we are quartered. He 
lias three sons ; one, an infant at the breast, the other 
two being three or four years old, whom their nurses 
bring out every day into the garden in front of the palace, 
and give them a turn about. 

In one of the squares of the city is a very large and 
lofty fountain, the water of which springs up with great 
force. 

The river Po comes from the uttermost right-hand 
outskirts of the city, and on the further side of the river 
all is mountain and forest, with beautiful isolated houses 
here and there in the valleys. The river and the moun- 
tain are contiguous to the city. On the summit of one 
of the peaks, the highest of the whole, a beautiful church 
is built, named the Super ga, where are the tombs of the 
Sovereign's ancestors. To the left of the city, as far as 
the range of the Alps, is a level plain. 

A synagogue is being constructed by the Jews in this 
city — a very stately edifice ; that is to say, the wealthy 
Jews of Italy have united together and are building it in 
common. It is not as yet completed. 



CHAPTEE VI. 



ITALY ; AUSTRIA ; 19 DAYS. 




RID AY, 29th (25th July) .—Remained at home. 
After breakfast the Sovereign came and we 
went together to the armoury that is in the 
palace. There were large numbers of weapons, 
ancient and modern, such as Persian swords on which 
were inscribed verses of Persian poetry in letters of gold; 
of which we saw several, and also Persian coats of mail 
and helmets. There were also some dead horses, made 
to stand up as though alive, and men, clothed in ancient 
Frankish armour, made to ride upon them. There 
were some arms of the ancestors and forefathers of 
this very Sovereign, such as swords and the like. 
A sword that the first Napoleon, on the occasion of 
his adieu at Fontahiebleau, gave to an Italian general 
who was in his service, was there and was examined. 
There was a sword, long and pointed, like a spear. 
We went up and down for a long time, saw the 
whole of the arms, and then returned to our own apart- 
ments. 

In the afternoon there was a dinner-party in this same 



296 Diary of a Tottr in Europe. [«hap. vi. 

palace. The Sovereign came. "We went. In a most 
magnificent hall a large table was spread. There 
were one hundred persons around it. We sat down* 
A most splendid dinner was served, and- music also 
was played. The Sovereign himself partook of no 
food. I asked the reason. He replied: "My custom 
is to dine at midnight and immediately to go to sleep.' r 
In like manner, the Sovereign's cousin paternally, 
by reason of this same habit, took no food, and 
also said that he had never drunk wine, preferring iced 
water. 

The beard of the Sovereign's cousin is long and white ; 
his face is ruddy and fair, his age appears to be about 
sixty-five ; but he is very robust. 

The whole of our suite, excepting those who had gone 
to Vienna, were of the party. 

To-day the Sovereign had sent some most beautiful 
and costly objects as souvenirs to be presented to us; such 
as portraits in mosaic, the work of Italy, each one being 
of fabulous value. This art is special to Italy, and has 
no connexion with the inlaid work made in Persia. That 
of Persia is made of bone ; here it is done with mineral 
stones of various colours, is most beautiful, and is very 
rare. A very large table in mosaic, very handsome 
fowling-pieces, a painted oil portrait of the Sovereign 
himself and strikingly like him, besides being well 
executed, some models of buildings executed in marble, 
some figures of bronze, and a casket in mosaic. In 
short, many beautiful objects. To the Grand- Yazir 



chap, vi.] Italy, Austria. 297 

and to the princes, as well as the others, also, had he 
given decorations.* 

In the evening, in company with the Sovereign, we 
went to the theatre which is in this very palace, hut at a 
great distance. We passed through sundry apartments 
and that selfsame armoury, arrived at a beautiful and 
far extending corridor, lighted up as in an illumination,, 
and so reached the theatre. We sat in the first box*. 
It was a very pretty theatre, not very large, and not too 
small, with five tiers of seats, and many gaslamps. The 
audience was numerous. They sang ; they danced ; the 
curtain went up. As the weather was very sultry, we 
did not sit out more than two acts, that is, two scenes. 
There was a singer, Urbin by name, who was very beau- 
tiful and young, with a good voice, from the New World.. 

* The following is a list of these presents : — 

1. Koman Mosaics. 
A large view of the Colosseum. 
A large view of a Lion Hunt. 
Four smaller views in Rome. 

2. Florentine Mosaic. 
One casket of gilt bronze. 

3. Bronze Figures. 
Antinous. 

Caesar Augustus. 

An Athlete. 

The Faunus of Praxiteles. 

4. Marbles. 

Three giallo antico models of monuments in the Forum of 

Rome. 
One goblet of rosso antico. 

5. Painting. 

One large portrait of His Majesty the King. 

6. Arms. 
Five rifles. 



2gS Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. vi. 

They said she had a hushand, and in two days' time was 
to go to (St.) Peter(sburg) as a vocalist. Eising, we 
jcame home. 

The city of Turin has a population of two hundred 
thousand. The uniforms of the officers, and the horses 
<of the regular cavalry were beautiful. 

Saturday, 30th (26th July). — On rising in the morning 
the weather was very sultry. We breakfasted, and then 
went for a tour through the apartments of the palace, 
viewing the very beautiful pictures, and then the library 
of the Sovereign, which is in the lower story of the 
building. There were many books. The arrangement 
of the library was that of a long corridor. 

We then went upstairs and strolled in the palace 
garden, passing thence to the animals that belong to the 
Sovereign, which we viewed in this garden in their 
cages. There were many lions, one black leopard, 
wolves, foxes, jackals, hyaenas, a pair of elephants, a pair 
of giraffes, tigers, leopards, black bears of Tibet — which 
are strange beasts. In one cage were many monkeys. 
There were various kinds of antelopes, a zebra, and 
other things. Two curious animals were seen there, 
that were not in any other of the zoological gardens. 
One was the " lion-yuz," (puma, felis concolor). I had 
seen a "leopard-yuz " (the Youze, Chetah, Hunting-Cat, 
gueparda jubata) ; but had never even heard of a " lion- 
yuz." It resembles a lion, though it is like a leopard, 
and very engaging. The other was a monkey of very 
perverse disposition and savage, that was kept by itself. 
Man could not pass in front of it. Its teeth were like 



■chap, vl] Italy, Austria. 299 

-those of a tiger, and its head enormously large. It had 
a yellow beard, a nose all red, blue cheeks marked with 
streaks. It is called the Mandrill, and was brought 
from Africa. 

We returned home ; that is to say, that, since it is 
only with much trouble that a great number of stairs 
can be mounted, they have arranged a curious ap- 
paratus, with a chair resembling a carriage, and in 
this we seated ourselves ; they worked it by winding, 
.and we were slowly lifted, with the greatest comfort, 
to the upper story of the palace where our quarters 
were. 

After a few moments they announced the arrival of the 
^Sovereign, who was waiting in one of the chambers. 
We went together in a carriage for a drive through all 
parts of the city, which was beautifully illuminated. The 
women and men were very numerous. It possesses very 
beautiful women. At length we went to the parade- 
ground, around which are large oak-trees and beautiful 
avenues. These we traversed, as well as some streets. 
There was one long street, exceedingly handsome, which 
they had illuminated, and which extends to the river 
Po. On the other side of the river, on the tops of the 
mountains and hills, they exhibited some fine fireworks, 
which produced a very pleasing effect. These ended, 
we returned home. I was in the carriage with the 
Sovereign, the Grand- Vazir, and M. Bertoleniani (il 
Cavaliere Ettore Bertole Viale, Major- General), the 
Sovereign's Grand Huntsman, aide-de-camp, and com- 
panion ; we thus reached our quarters. 



300 Diary of a Tour in Etirope. [chap, vi.. 

It is some time since the death of the Sovereign's royal 
consort that he once had, and he has not again married 
a royally contracted state wife, having taken a pri- 
vately-wedded consort, in like way with myself. His wife 
was not here, having gone to the coast for the purpose 
of sea-bathing. I sent her a courteous message of atten- 
tions, and received a corresponding answer, through the 
medium of M. Aghemo, private secretary to the Sove- 
reign, who is the son of the paternal uncle {i.e., a cousin) 
of this consort. The Sovereign said : " My present 
wife has been with me in my campaigns, and is with me 
in my hunting excursions. She has even shot two deer 
herself." By this wife (the Contessa di Mirafiori) he has 
a«on, who is an officer of the cavalry; also a daughter, 
who was married to a colonel in the army (the Marquis 
Spinola) ; but he having died, she is now a widow. 

Sunday, 1st Jumdda-'l-Ukhrd (Latter Jumdda; 27th 
Jidy). — We have to go from Turin to the city of Milan- 
By rail this is a distance of four hours. Kising in the 
morning and dressing, we received the Sovereign, who 
came to visit us, sat down, and had some conversation- 
Prince Amadeo, the Sovereign's second son, also came. 
His wife was still unwell, as before. The Heir-Apparent 
set out yesterday for a summer residence (sic ; probably 
a typographical error for Milan) in order to our recep- 
tion. The Sovereign told me he had shot a deer, which 
was in the corridor, as he wished me to see it, and to say 
whether that species exists in Persia or not. I rose and 
went. They had placed the dead deer in the hall. I 
saw it. It was of the same species as those deer which- 



•chap, vi.] Italy, Austria. 301 

I had seen in the parks in England. It is a kind of 
stag, but is smaller. 

We descended and mounted a carriage, the Sovereign 
Toeing also present, and we drove to the station. From 
this place we made use of an Austrian train of cars, which 
were very beautiful. They have put the whole party, 
with the luggage, &c, into this one train ; and the whole 
of the carriages communicate with one another, like 
those of the train we used in Russia. 

The Sovereign, with all the magnates and notables of 
"the State, were standing on the platform at the station 
until the train was put in motion. Saluting each other, 
we passed on. ' 

The right hand side of the city is all lulls. They 
have built here and there on the hills and in the valleys, 
which are clothed with forest, very pretty summer-resi- 
dences. After the train had proceeded a certain 
distance, the hills on the right hand side receded to a 
distance, and all became a level open plain, teeming with 
man and his works. A large proportion of the crops 
was Indian corn, and this was newly ripe. A difference in 
the Indian corn of these parts from that of Persia is, in 
the first place, that the stems of it here are very tall, and 
secondly, that while the (ears of the) middle of the steins 
are the same as in Persia, being edible, the tops of the 
stems are of another sort, bearing ears like wheat, and 
pendulous, which they also make into flour and eat ; * 
two kinds of Indian corn being thus produced on 
•one stem. 

* Probably a mistaken idea of corn-flour. — J. W\ R. 



302 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap, vi. 

The wheat and barley were harvested. Many mul- 
berry trees for silkworms were noticed in the neigh- 
bourhood of Milan. The silk of Italy is renowned for 
its good quality ; but for several years past, it has not suc- 
ceeded well. The whole plain was full of trees and crops. 

We passed several rivers, large and small. The name 
of one of the large rivers is the Dona (Dora Eipaira, or, 
Dora Baltea?), another is the Stura, and the Sicia 
(Sesia), and the Gicino (Ticino). Well; we pursued 
our journey, and stopped awhile at Santhia, which is a 
small town. At every town where the train stopped, the 
inhabitants, such as soldiers, military officers, civilians, 
the governor, and the like, came to meet us. We then 
reached Novara, which is on the skirts of a mountain, 
the greater part of the houses being on the hills and up* 
in valleys, so that it is very picturesque and striking. 
From Turin to this place the whole road has been 
through a plain ; here mountains again make their 
appearance; that is, on the left, where the town is, 
there are mountains, but on the right, a plain. On these 
mountains, again, verdure and forest are scarce; but 
everywhere they have built for themselves isolated 
houses and mansions for summer residences and other 
purposes, in very good taste. 

When we had left Novara a few leagues behind us, we 
arrived at the village of Magenta, celebrated ever since 
the battle fought there and on its fields against the 
Austrians in the time of the third Napoleon, when the 
Austrian forces were utterly routed and put to flight in 
these fields by the French and Italians. A tall column 



chap, vi.] Italy, Atistria. 303, 

was noticed that has been erected by Napoleon in com- 
memoration, and as a tombstone for those killed in that 
battle who were French. 

We arrived at Milan while it yet wanted two hours 
and a half to sunset. It has a magnificent and very 
large terminus, constructed by the Austrian Government 
at the time when they possessed this city. We had 
seen but few stations with such beautiful and extensive 
accommodations. 

We alighted from the train; the Heir- Apparent of 
Italy, who had come here yesterday, who is also himself 
the special Governor of the place, where he always 
resides, was awaiting us, with the magistrates, military 
officers, and civilians. After mutual salutations with the 
Heir- Apparent, we mounted a carriage. Immense crowds 
were in the streets and at the windows. The atmosphere 
was intensely hot ; hotter than at Tehran. We passed 
through beautiful streets. It is a very handsome city, 
and possesses very lovely women. We drove a long way, 
and at length reached the square of the Government 
Palace, and of the famous church (the Duomo), renowned 
in all the earth, which they have there erected. Such a 
church and such an edifice is in no other spot in the world. 

Well ; we reached the palace. It is a very imposing 
structure and full of effects, such as tables, chairs, bed- 
steads, looking-glasses, and tlie like. The whole of the 
rooms, halls, and doors, are ornamented with gildings 
and paintings ; in each of them beautiful stuffs and oil 
paintings of merit are hung against the walls, numerous 
chandeliers being suspended from the ceilings. This 



304 Diary of a Totcr in Etirope. [chap. vi. 

palace was built in days of old. When the first Napo- 
leon conquered Italy and this city, he thoroughly 
restored and redecorated the palace, and it remained 
long in his possession ; for Prince Eugene for eight 
years ruled in this city as viceroy of Napoleon. After 
that, the country and the palace fell into the hands of 
Austria, and for years she reigned over them. Prince 
Maximilian, brother of the present Emperor of Austria, 
who afterwards became Emperor of Mexico in the New 
World, where they put him to death, was viceroy for the 
Emperor of Austria over this city and province. Since 
the defeat of the Austrians, they have formed a part of 
the kingdom of Italy. 

Well ; after a short rest, we felt an inclination to go 
to the top of the church that is opposite the palace. We 
rose, and in the first place went into the church. Being 
'Sunday, we found there a great concourse of men and 
women. We walked about a while. From the interior 
►of the church there is a way, up steps, that ascends to 
the top. With the Heir- Apparent we went up. There 
are five hundred and seventy steps to the very summit, 
and by degrees we mounted. For the first two hundred 
steps, the way was narrow, dark, and winding ; after 
that, there are spacious terraces and roofs, from whence 
upwards the steps are easy. 

From the summit, the ranges of the Alps and of 
Mount St. Bernard were visible ; over which the first 
Napoleon led the French forces into Italy. The railway 
trains, emitting their smoke, and either entering the city 
from every quarter, or departing therefrom, were very 



•chap, vi.] Italy, Austria, 305 

interesting as seen from that elevation. Two triumphal 
arches erected outside the city by Napoleon on his first 
conquest of Italy, and a canal, a very large stream, that 
he caused to be constructed to convey water to the city 
of Pavia, were also in sight. From the great height of 
the building, the people below appeared like pismires. 

The whole of the church is of white marble, and it 
has four thousand marble statues in various forms, the 
utmost of the sculptor's art having been expended in 
their production. The greater part of these statues are 
outside the building, standing, sitting, and carved back 
and front. Some spring out from the walls or building 
(in alto-relievo), and others are attached to the walls (in 
basso-relievo). Above, below, the outside and the inside 
of the church is nothing but marble. The edifice has 
been built by degrees as time has rolled on, and they are 
even now still at work upon it, executing sculptures. 
From five hundred years ago, until now, every day have 
they laboured in edifying, repairing, or adding to it new 
works, and they say it will not be completed for another 
hundred years. The interior of the church contains 
some wondrously large columns of marble ; the roof is 
also of marble so carved as to make one marvel. And 
so high is the roof that when one stands up there, he 
cannot bear to look straight down. It has beautiful 
altars, pulpits, and figures of all kinds. If a talented 
sculptor were to work at all hours the whole of his life, 
exerting the whole of hisjart in the production of one 
small casket in marble, still he would not equal the feats 
of sculpture that are in this church. It is so great a 

z 



306 Diary of a Totcr in Europe, [chap. vi. 

production of genius that if a person were to come, say, 
from the New World, and after specially inspecting this 
church, were to return, he would be independent of 
seeing any other work of art. 

Upon the surfaces of the roofs, in the passages, and 
on the steps, ten thousand persons and more could walk 
about or sit down without feeling a want of space. The 
outer surfaces of the roofs are all in large slabs of 
marble. There are many sculptured spires of marble, 
each with the marble statue of a man on its summit, and 
one large central spire, taller than all the others, which 
has a brass statue upon it, with a flag in its hand. 
From the top of this statue to the ground or floor of the 
church is a distance of one hundred and fourteen ells (399 
feet) ; and there are steps up to the front of this statue. 

We now descended, passed through the interior of the 
church, and went to a market, resembling an (eastern) 
bazaar, and covered in with glass, having been newly 
constructed. It is not very long or broad ; but it is a 
very pretty bazaar, and we strolled about there a while. 
Great crowds were there ; so we returned home. 

In the evening dinner was taken in a very sumptuous 
hall at an enormous table, where we were the guest of 
the Heir-Apparent. All the Persian and Frankish 
grandees were of the party. They gave an excellent 
dinner, that was spread out over a great space of time. 
The Governor of the city of Milan, a very fat man, was 
also present. 

Dinner being concluded, we went to a window that 
faced the church and the square. At least twenty thou- 



chap, vi.] Italy, Attstria. 307 

sand individuals were congregated in this space. They 
had illuminated the whole church with Bengal lights, 
which produce different colours. At one moment the 
entire building from summit to foot was red ; at another 
moment, green, yellow, or some other colour. The 
white pigeons that have their nests in the upper parts of 
the towers took fright and flew about. In the darkness 
of the night they flashed like lightnings in the air from the 
glare of the lights, and produced a very pleasing effect. 

Monday, 2nd (28th July). — We must go to Saltzburg, 
a place in the dominions of Austria. In the morning 
we early mounted a carriage, the Heir-Apparent, his 
officers, and the authorities of the city being present. 
We drove along the street by which we had arrived the 
day before, reached the station, took our seat in the 
train, and started. We passed by numerous cities, in 
the following order ; first, Treviglio ; secondly, Ber- 
gamo ; thirdly, Brescia ; fourthly, Desenzano ; fifthly, 
Verona, which is a fortress of importance. As far as 
Bergamo the country was flat, and everywhere sown 
with Indian corn or planted with mulberry-trees for silk. 
We also crossed several rivers, the largest of them all 
being the Adige, which passes by Verona. Its waters 
were turbid. When we had passed Bergamo, mountains 
again appeared on our left hand, the town itself being 
on the skirts of a hill. Detached houses are here and 
there built on the hillside, which are very handsome. 
The hill was verdant, and had a small show of forest. 

In every city where our train stopped, the inhabitants 
in crowds, together with troops, infantry and cavalry, 

x 2 



308 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. vr. 

magistrates, and officers, came to meet us. To our 
left the mountains continued in the same manner, while 
to our right, as far as the eye could see, all was plain, 
full of trees, full of produce. The mountains on our 
left gradually became loftier ; but in the greater part of 
them, up to the very peaks, the people had built for 
.themselves beautiful summer-residences. 

And so we went on till we came to a lake, very large 
and picturesque, inclosed on three sides by lofty moun- 
tains, and the water of which was pellucid and extremely 
pleasant to see. It is smaller than the Lake of Geneva, 
but still of good size, and had a very charming island in 
its midst. Many edifices are constructed on that island, 
which had a bridge-like communication with the main- 
land. It is called the Lake of Garda. All around it is 
Italian territory, excepting a small portion of the upper 
end, which belongs to Austria. The fortress of Pes- 
ehiera, one of the strongholds of Italy, is on the shore of 
this lake, and its ditch is always full of water from the 
lake. There is always a garrison with artillery sta- 
tioned there by the Government. They fired a salute of 
•cannon from the fortress. 

Leaving Peschiera, we reached the city and fortress of 
Verona. This city is in the midst between the plains 
and the mountains. All round the city is a fortification, 
with a ditch, and with powerful batteries, in which are 
many cannon. Around the mountains, also, they have 
constructed towers and batteries. The great river Adige, 
which flows in front of the fortress, has added to its 
strength. They fired many salutes. 



chap, vi.] Italy, Austria. 309* 

We arrived at a station somewhat above the fortress, 
and there we stopped. The Governor of the town, ancL 
the Commander of the troops of the fortress, with in- 
fantry, cavalry, and people of the city, were there waiting.. 
Afterwards the train, returning by the road over which- 
we had come, and passing by the fortress and town of 
Verona, turned into the road to Saltzburg and Innsbruck. 
We entered a narrow valley, through which a mighty 
stream flowed. On both sides were high mountains and 
a few forests. The name of the river was Aisache 
(German for the Adige). Our road led continuously 
through the banks of the river, valleys, and high moun- 
tains. The valley was sometimes spacious, sometimes 
constricted. The mountains became gradually more 
lofty, more precipitous, and more clothed with forests.- 
Sometimes the mother stream was lost, and secondary 
waters were met with, coming from other valleys. 
Numerous are the bridges which they have built over 
these streams. The beginnings of the valley were little 
inhabited or cultivated; but, the farther we went, the more 
of these were seen. Numerous vineyards were planted. 

After having traversed this valley for a certain dis- 
tance, we came to a place named Ala, which is a frontier 
between the territories of Italy and Austria. At the 
station of this place the train stopped, and the Austrian 
officials who were to be in attendance upon us were 
received in audience. The chiefs of these were a per- 
sonage of note and Principal Chamberlain of the Em- 
peror. He was also a military officer, his name being 
the Count de Grenneville, and M. Barb, an Assistant 



310 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. vi. 

Master of Ceremonies, who spoke Persian fluently. We 
had some conversation with these ; after which the 
Italian officials in waiting, the chief of whom was Count 
Pianelli, received their conge. One half of this station he- 
longs to Italy, the other half being the property of Austria, 
and garrisons from both States are quartered there. 

Well ; after a delay of ten minutes we resumed our 
journey, and travelled at a rapid rate. On all sides were 
lofty mountains, valleys, and immense rivers. The 
higher we ascended the valley, the more lofty were the 
mountains, the denser the forests. In the valley itself 
all was one vineyard, vines supported by trellises, beneath 
which was a very grateful shade. Along the skirts of 
the mountains were pretty picturesque villages and works 
of man. 

At the entrance, in the jaws of this valle}', the Austrian 
Government has constructed two strong forts, so that it 
is impossible for the troops of an enemy to penetrate 
through this pass. They have placed many a cannon on 
the summit of the forts and batteries, and always are 
there officers of trust and garrisons in these two forts. 
The name of the fortress is Franzansvest. Here it was 
made known that it is a great distance to Saltzburg, our 
destination, so that, if we travel continuously, we shall 
reach there to-morrow afternoon. 

At sunset we arrived at a station where the train was 
stopped for an hour, and where a dinner was prepared in 
a room for our attendants. I, too, alighted, and in- 
spected the troops that were drawn out. The generals 
and officers in the place were presented. M. Gersich, a 



chap, vl] Italy, Atcstrta. 311 

professor of the science of artillery, who was formerly a 
professor in the College of Science at Tehran, and of 
whom Muhammad-Hasan Khan, son of the Commander- 
in-Chief, with Muhammad- Sadiq Khan Qajar, are two of 
the best pupils, was there received. His beard had 
become somewhat grizzled, but his frame was in first-rate 
condition. 

We again took our seat in the train. I had not yet 
dined ; but our suite returned from dinner, and we con- 
tinued our journey. Although it was dark, still we were 
aware that there were many rivers, and that we crossed 
over bridges. On either side were lofty mountains, 
covered with forest, and narrow valleys ; the road, too, 
was all uphill. A violent storm of thunder and lightning 
occurred, accompanied b}' heavy rain. We dined and lay 
down. 

Once we were awakened and heard numerous voices 
and sounds, from which we gathered that the train had 
arrived and stopped at Innsbruck. The inhabitants of 
the town, women and men, the governor and officers, 
were all in attendance, creating a marvellous hubbub. 
When we were again left alone, we slept, and on awaking 
in the morning, again was there discussion and con- 
troversy. The train went on, and anew did sleep obtain 
the mastery. Two hours later, we arose and dressed. 
We were now in the German territory of the kingdom of 
Bavaria. I looked out upon the open country, which 
was like a paradise — huge mountains full of forests, trees 
of fir and yews of the forest in great numbers, lands all 
verdant, meadows, numerous flowers of every colour; 



312 Diary of a Toitr in Europe, [chap, vi- 

and although it was the middle of the hot season, the 
plain and the mountains [were as in opening spring. 
There were numbers of rivers, branches of the Danube,- 
flowing into the Danube, and everywhere crops, which here 
were not yet reaped. The air was cool as in a hill-station. 

And thus we reached the town of Eosenheim, one of 
the cities of Bavaria. From hence to the Bavarian 
capital, Munich, or to Saltzburg, our destination, is an 
equal distance, about one hour and a half's journey. 
The train stopped here a short time, and then we again 
set off with our faces towards Saltzburg. 

We everywhere passed through charming sites and 
forests of larch, and by a pretty little lake, arriving thus 
at the station of the city of Trauenstein, where there 
was a great concourse. We held a long chat with one of 
these inhabitants of Germany who knew French; and 
one of the people of the town who had made a pipe out 
of the stem of a tree, in an artistic manner, presented it 
to us as a souvenir of the place, and we accepted it. 
The population of this city is about four or five thousand. 

Well; we arrived at the river Saltza, which is the 
boundary between the states of Austria and Bavaria, and 
flows past Saltzburg. We crossed a bridge and reached 
the station, where the inhabitants of the town, and the 
troops were waiting. 

It is a handsome city, with a pleasant climate, and 
situated by the side of a wooded mountain, having a 
population of fourteen thousand souls. This is the place 
where the third Napoleon had a meeting with the present 
Emperor of Austria. It has a famous salt-mine. 



chap, vi.] Italy, Austria. 313. 

We mounted a carriage and drove to the palace. It is 
a handsome palace, very ancient, with a small square in- 
front, a stone basin of water, with a large fountain, the 
water pouring from the mouths of two horses and men 
of stone also. Around the square are a church and a 
hotel. 

The greater part of our journey to-day and yesterday 
was through the Tyrol, Austrian territory. The moun- 
tains thereof are styled the Tyrolean Alps. From Milan 
to Saltzburg the distance is more than two hundred and 
fifty leagues, which we traversed in twenty-three hours. 

This city and province were formerly in the hands of 
the priests, who exercised sovereignty here ; and this 
very palace in which are our quarters, is one of their 
buildings. A hill, covered with forest and verdure is in 
the middle of the town, on the summit of which the 
priests, in the days of their rule, constructed the palace 
and a strong castle for the defence of the place. They 
led a wall along the middle of the hill ; i.e., there is a 
great vein of rock, upon which they built the walL 
There are some handsome hotels in the town, especially 
one called the Hotel d'Europe. 

To-day, on the frontier of Bavaria and Austria, we 
saw a castle, from whence they fired guns, and named 
Hofstein, to which they send political prisoners. 

Tuesday, 3rd (29th Jidy). — God willing, we have to go 
to the city of Vienna, the capital of Austria. 

We rose in the morning. In the neighbourhood of 
the town there is a place known by the name of Schon- 
brunn, at the distance of half an hour's drive, con- 



314 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. vi. 

structed in the days of the sovereignty of the priests. 
The word " Schoribrunn " in the German tongue has the 
meaning of "clear spring" (read: "beautiful spring "). 
We mounted a carriage and drove out, the princes and 
others following us. The weather was a little warm. 
Leaving the city, there was an avenue that afforded a 
shade. Everywhere the carriage drove along avenues, 
until we reached a park and a palace. In this place, and 
in a few others, I saw many plane-trees, differing some- 
what, however, from those of Persia, as the trunks and 
branches of those seen here are darker, blacker than 
those in Persia ; but the leaves show no difference. 

Well ; we reached the park, which was laid out with 
flower-beds and grass. There were numbers of women 
and men, travellers or spectators. This park, together 
with certain other establishments, and buildings with 
"basins of water, of old construction, is situated at the 
foot of a hill covered with forest and verdure. Numerous 
springs of clear water issue forth from the skirts of the 
Mils, and over each of these springs thay have erected a 
pavilion or a place like a basin or like a waterfall, into 
which the water flows from the spring, and passes thence 
by broad channels. The water was cool and pleasant to 
drink ; and there were a great many trout, the " red- 
spotted trout " of Persia, seen in the water there. Going 
down along the bank of the stream for a stroll, we came 
to some very pretty places, where again many springs 
and basins of water were seen ; also some places where 
establishments for basins of water, as it were, were con- 
structed of rock. Others were made to resemble cabinets, 






€hap. vi.] Italy, Austria. 315 

the summits being upreared, and six or seven cocks, 
called in French "robinet" (and in Persian "lion"), 
were visible. Upon turning any one of these cocks, 
water springs forth from some fountain, or from the 
earth, or from the roof of a chamber. For instance, 
there was seen one place with a basin of water, in the 
middle of which was a small fountain, with a crown of 
brass over the fountain. Upon gently opening a cock, 
the water filled the under part of the crown, and gradually 
lifted the crown until it touched the roof of the chamber, 
which was then gradually made to descend again. This 
is at the discretion of a man; should he wish it, the 
crown could be raised to a height of twenty ells (70 
feet) and again made to descend. Another thing in 
which there was much to laugh at, and which was a 
novelty, was this : As people or spectators were uncon- 
cernedly amusing themselves by walking about in the 
gravelled avenues and environs of the corridors, without 
knowing that the earth beneath their feet among the 
gravel of the avenues was full of fountains and small 
holes, so as not to be noticeable, they suddenly opened 
the cock that shut off the source from these fountains, 
upon which the water spouted forth from all sides, from 
the soil, from the avenues, from above, and from below, 
wetting all the people, who thereupon took to flight. 
This was rare fun ; and in justice it may be said that 
herein great cleverness has been displayed, the whole 
having been so well kept from the days of yore till now. 

The air here was cool and resembling that of a hill- 
station. 



3 1 6 Diary of a Tour in Eicrope. [chap. vi. 

Another sight was this : They have made a town of 
pasteboard or of wood, replete with all manner of objects, 
and placed it on the other side of the stream opposite to 
the spring. Every one of the people of this town is 
busy at some kind of occupation, one dancing, another 
making a bear dance, one riding in a carriage, another 
drinking water beneath a spring and a tree ; and so on, in 
many other ways. This piece of mechanism is also set in 
motion by the water power of the springs. It has a screw, or 
a cock, or a small apparatus, the which, on being handled,. 
sets the people of the town in motion, who then per- 
form strange and marvellous things. It was very amusing.. 

Again ; there was a water- channel, and on either side 
of this a tortoise was set, with their mouths so exactly 
opposite to one another that the water which spouted 
with great force from the one, poured into the other, and 
one could not distinguish whether it was water or a tube 
of crystal passed from the mouth of the one tortoise into- 
that of the other ; but on interposing the hand, and so 
interrupting the communication, one ascertained that it 
was water ; and when the hand was removed, the crystal 
rod was re-established. This was a very curious con- 
trivance. 

Furthermore ; within the channels of water they had 
arranged, as a specimen, a spectacle, and an amusement,, 
a manufactory of earthenware, a cotton-carding engine, 
a knife-grinding wheel, and other similar things, — the 
workmen being all small, the wheels and machines all 
toys, but so arranged that there was no dissimilarity 
from real workshops and real workmen. 



-chap, vi.] Italy, Austria. 317 

The whole of these things were made and arranged a 
hundred and twenty years ago, merely for the display of 
ingenuity. 

Well ; we strolled about a long time ; but, as it was 
necessary to be in the train by a certain given hour, in 
order to proceed to Vienna, we could not spend more 
time in sight- seeing. We therefore returned to the city, 
driving straight to the station ; we there waited a space 
in one of the rooms, and then took our seat in the train. 

By railway it is a distance of seven hours from here to 
Vienna. The Grand- Vazir sent a message to say that 
the Governor of Saltzburg wished to take leave and 
return. We arose, stood by the side of the railway car- 
riages, and exchanged salutes with the Governor ; upon 
which he took his departure, and we at length started. 

This line has no high mountains ; but on both sides of 
the way we saw pretty little hills, — green and cheerful, 
and forests — full of firs and yews. Some cultivated 
places were newly reaped, showing the yellow colour of 
the crops in the midst of the green meadows and grand 
forests. But, on our right hand, at a great distance off, 
the high mountains were reached ; while on both sides of 
the line all was gentle hill and dale, populous, teeming 
with crops, and abounding with woods, most beauteous. 
It was a charming journey. The weather, too, was 
moderate; at times, even cloudy, with a cool breeze. At 
every station where we made a stop, there were people 
to receive us, with troops of the line and bands. 

At the city of Lintz, where the train stopped, multi- 
tudes of women and men were collected in front of the 



3 1 8 Diary of a Toicr in Europe, [chap. vi. 

station. We alighted, and inspected the troops. We 
then retreated to a room assigned to our use, where they 
had prepared a breakfast. This place possessed some 
most beautiful women. Austria, in point of beauty and 
engagingness, is the queen of all lands. 

Well ; when our party had breakfasted, we returned to 
our train and again proceeded. The appearance of the 
country was still the same with that above described ; 
perhaps more beautiful even. We then arrived at a 
small town called Hammelbach, and shortly after passing 
it, we saw the mighty river Danube on our left hand. 
Our road lay for a short distance along its bank, and 
then swerved to a distance. Next we reached the town 
of St. Polten, where, on the summit of a hill in the 
middle of the town, we noticed a palace, a church, and a 
college, of very imposing structure, and belonging to the 
priests. That must be a very charming place, with a 
beautiful view. As we approached more and more towards 
the city of Vienna, the more did we see beautiful towns, 
populous places, sumptuous summer-residences in the 
valleys and at the foot of the hills covered with forests, 
together with most charming sites. The houses were of 
a most pleasing aspect, and lovely streams of water 
occurred on our road. 

At about sunset we arrived at the station of Penzing, 
where the train stopped, His Most Exalted Majesty 
the Emperor of Austria being on the platform awaiting 
us, with the Nawwab the Heir-Apparent and the Princes, 
who had come out two (probably ten) leagues from town 
to meet us. Alighting, I gave my hand. The Emperor's 



chap, vi.] Italy, Austria. 319 

name is Francis-Joseph, who is of the House of Habsburg, 
and his father is still alive, bearing the name of Francis- 
Charles and being of the age of sixty-five. Of the 
persons who were with the Emperor were the Count de 
Bellegarde and Baron Schlechta, the Persian interpreter, 
who spoke extremely well ; besides many other officers, 
and officials, high and low, with others also. 

After salutation we entered the railway carriage, where 
I was with the Emperor, the Grand- Vazir, Mirza Malkam 
Khan, Baron Schlechta, Count Dubeski — the Austrian 
Envoy to Tehran, and Count Grenneville — in attendance 
upon us. We proceeded. 

Our quarters are in the Chateau of Laxenburg, built 
by Maria- Theresa, a former Queen of Austria, at a 
distance of five leagues from the city of Vienna. The 
Emperor's quarters were at Schonbrunn, which is nearer 
to town. As the air of the city was sultry, we did not 
make it our residence. 

Well ; we arrived at the Chateau of Laxenburg. There 
were a few households in the environs, which gave it the 
appearance of a town. The Chateau itself is a square 
building of two stories, with a court in the middle, and a 
small square. All the rooms communicate with one 
another. The princes, the 'Ala/u-'d-Dawla, and Hasan 
Ali Khan — Minister of Public Works, are quartered in a 
mansion at some little distance from here. In front of 
our palace there is a very extensive park, with beautiful 
avenues, a lake, and a small river. 

Well ; we reached the palace with the Emperor and 
others. The Emperor presented his grand functionaries 



3 20 Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chat, vi. 

of state, his princes, and others. First, the Heir- 
Apparent of the Empire, who is fourteen years of 
age, and who is the only son. He is a very polished, 
courteous, engaging, handsome youth, and his name is 
Eudolf; also Charles-Louis and Louis-Victor, both of 
them princes, Count Andrassi — the Prime. Minister of 
Austria, and the other Ministers, military and civil. 
After which, we also presented the Grand-Vazir, the 
princes, and the others. The Emperor then withdrew, 
and we received the princes and others who had preceded 
us to Vienna. In the evening we dined and retired to 
rest. 

Wednesday, 4th (30th July). — This day we went to the 
palace of Schonbrunn, to return the Emperor's visit. By 
rail it is at a distance of half an hour. After sitting and 
conversing for a short time, we returned to our own 
quarters. 

Thursday j 5th (31st July). — Eose in the morning and 
'breakfasted. The weather was sultry to such a degree 
that it was impossible to go out of doors. Dr. Polack, 
who was formerly Professor of Medicine at Tehran, and 
for several years was also our own Chief Physician, was 
received in audience. I was extremely gratified at seeing 
the Doctor. He is a nice man, has grown somewhat 
aged, has taken a wife, had been for a time in Egypt, and 
is now in Vienna. 

In the afternoon we mounted a carriage and went for a 
drive about the park of the palace. We noticed a large 
canal, like a river, that passes through the park, and it has 
some handsome bridges over it. There was a pond with 



chap, vi.] Italy, Austria. 



multitudes of fish in it. They scattered some crumbs of 
bread, when some good large fishes made their appearance. 
They informed me that these fishes have been here in the 
pond these two hundred years. The park and its avenues 
are of great extent ; and there was a large lake in it, with 
trees and lawns surrounding it, and with some pretty 
islands in it. We noticed many wild geese in one of the 
islands, and there were multitudes of women and men on 
the shores of the lake, who had come out sightseeing. 
Here we alighted from the carriage and took our seat in 
a boat for a promenade on the water. 

There is an old edifice on the shore of this lake, built 
in times gone by, that has a threatening keep of great 
strength, and is called the " Knight's Castle." It has 
some columns, and upon the summits of these are the 
figures of men, cocks, and the like, in cast metal. Its 
gates are of iron and very strong. This palace and castle 
are exactly like the palaces of the demons, magicians, 
wizards, and genii, of which one has read in story-books 
and legendary tales. We passed through several doors, 
and arrived at strange-looking apartments and passages. 
Each room and each corridor has also its iron door. 
There was one dark place, very frightful, in winch they 
have placed a dead wolf upon a platform, arranged with 
its skin and its hair to look like life. A dreadful-looking 
man, made of pasteboard, was set up, and chained with 
chains as prisoners are secured. Beneath this room are 
secret appliances, the which, being put in motion, cause 
the hands and feet of that captive to move about. Should 
any one uninformed and alone happen to enter that dark 



322 Diary of a Tour in Etirope. [ch.u>. vi. 

place and witness those movements of the imprisoned 
man, he would doubtless feel alarmed. 

There was also another place seen, circular in form 
and roofed over, in which they have set up large marble 
statues of the ancestors of this (present) Emperor, and of 
the Sovereigns of the province of Austria, which are finely 
sculptured. 

After that, all that was viewed of the apartments, small 
or large, above or below, was altogether frightful, harrow- 
ing, and suffocating ; which is as much as to say that a 
castle of knights must be in this manner. There was, 
however, one other room in which were pasteboard figures 
of olden knights clothed in their iron armour, while other 
ancient weapons were suspended to the roofs and walls. 
There were many awe-inspiring apartments communicat- 
ing with one another. It was like the talisman of 
Zangula ; and we also saw there the drum and Pandean 
pipe of the wizards spoken of in tales. 

After this stroll we returned home. The Grand-Vazir 
and others who had been into town to visit the Exhibition 
gave a description of the heat and unwholesomeness of 
the atmosphere. 

We also went to-day to the quarters of the Heir- 
Apparent, sitting and conversing there a certain time. 
The Heir-Apparent, although young in years, is well 
instructed and an attractive youth. In the empire of 
Austria he is (fitted to become) an excellent souvenir of 
the Emperor. 

Friday, 6th (1st August). — To-day, after breakfast, 
some German princes came to visit us. Their names 



chap, vi.] Italy, Atcstria. 323 

are as follows : the son of the ex-King of Hanover, who 
now resides with his father in Austria, Prussia having 
taken possession of his kingdom, is named Ernest- 
Augustus ; one of the Bavarian princes, named Arnulf ; 
one of the princes of Wurtemhurg, named Maximilian ; a 
prince of Saxe-Weimar, named Hermann. 

After these, the Prime Minister of Austria, Count 
Andrassy, came to an audience, and a long conversation 
ensued. Then, the Ambassador ofj England, named 
Buchanan (the Bight Hon. Sir Andrew Buchanan, 
G.C.B.) ; and next the Ambassador of the Ottoman State, 
Qabuli Pasha, came also. 

We now left and proceeded by train to the palace of 
Schonbrunn, where we were to be the guest at the table of 
the Emperor at dinner. We arrived at the station, 
mounted a great number of steps, found a carriage wait- 
ing, took our seats therein, and drove (to the palace). 

Schonbrunn is a town, the houses of which are in con- 
tinuation with those of the suburbs of the city of Vienna, 
so that it is not very distant from Vienna itself. The 
number of the population and of the houses in the town 
of Schonbrunn is less than those of Versailles and of 
Potsdam near Berlin. 

In front of the Emperor's palace there is a square. The 
carriage drove to the foot of a staircase within a corridor 
of the palace ; and there, at the foot of the staircase the 
Emperor was awaiting us. Alighting, we gave our hand, 
went upstairs, and entered a room, where the princes of 
Austria and Germany, the Emperor's brother, and others, 
were assembled. We stayed there a certain time. The 

Y 2 



324 Diary of a Toitr in Europe, [chap. vi. 

Emperor offered excuses for the second son of the 
Sovereign of Holland, who happened to be at Vienna, 
and who had been invited to the dinner, but had not 
arrived. For this reason we went late to the dinner 
table. After a little, however, the son of the Sovereign of 
Holland came, whose name is Alexander, and we went to 
table. All were there. This saloon is all in white, with 
a few plaster ornaments and gildings. The ceiling is 
painted, as though with designs executed on the plaster. 
All the rooms and halls are plain, and there are not a 
great many objects of luxury, such as pictures, portraits, 
and the like; though a few pictures were noticed of 
events in the life of the present Emperor, of Maria- 
Theresa, and others. 

In front of this saloon there is a park, with beautiful beds 
of flowers, lawns, and avenues. The whole of the leaves 
of the trees on both sides of the avenue have been clipped 
with shears, and the resemblance of walls of verdure has 
been thus produced. At the further end of the garden was 
a lofty green mound, and on the summit of this a small 
building with many columns overlooking the garden. At 
the foot of the mound, within the garden, there is a basin 
of water with fountains that send their water to a great 
height, but do not always play. When it is wished, their 
sources are opened (and the fountains play). 

At the conclusion of dinner we went to another room, 
where the whole of the guests at dinner were assembled 
and conversed with one another. Prince Hohenlohe, one 
of the grandees of the Emperor's Court, Minister of the 
Palace and first person there, a handsome young man, 



chap, vi.] Italy, Atcstria. 325 

was also present. I gave to the Heir- Apparent the deco- 
ration of my own Portrait set in diamonds. 

We then went to the station, and by train returned 
home and retired to rest. During the night a violent 
wind with rain set in, which cooled the air and watered 
the ground. 

Saturday, 7th (2nd August). — This day we have to go 
to the city of Vienna and visit the Exhibition. 

"When we rose in the morning, the air, through the rain 
of last night and the clouds, which were a real godsend 
from the secret providence of the Lord Most High, was 
very cool and pleasant. Had it been otherwise, it -would 
have been an extremely irksome task to go to town 
through that excessive heat and with the dust and dirt 
of the roads. 

We offered our thanks to God, dressed, mounted, and 
started, the whole of our suite being of the cortege. By 
rail, the distance to the city was one hour or less. The 
country was most charming, the air pleasant, the fields 
green, and flowers of various kinds were noticed. There 
were many hares among the crops. 

We came near to the city. As the town of Vienna is 
situated in a hollow, no trace of it is visible until one 
comes close upon it. On one side of it is a mound and 
the hills of Schonbrunn, the city being at the foot of these 
in an extremely low spot. From this cause, its atmo- 
sphere during the summer season is hot and unhealthy. 
It has neither a citadel, nor fortifications, nor a ditch. 
By reason of the lowness of the central parts of the city, 
the streets are all downhill to one who enters from the 



326 Diary of a Tour in Ettrope. [chap. vi. 

outskirts. The river Danube skirts one side of the town, 
and a canal therefrom, dug by hand, enters the city ; but 
this is very much smaller than the river Seine in Paris. 
Very small steamers ply thereon. The water of this river 
is not fit to drink. In bygone days the inhabitants of 
Vienna had no (good) water to drink, and through the 
filthy state of the Danube that flows by the city, they 
were much exposed to sicknesses from using it ; but now 
the Emperor, at the expense of the inhabitants of the 
city, has dug a large canal for the snowy waters of the 
mountain streams and springs, which he is leading into 
the town. Great expense has been incurred, and the 
work is not yet complete. It was said that it would be 
finished in another year. The population of the city of 
Vienna is six hundred thousand souls. 

Well ; the Emperor, with all his officials, and others, 
were on the platform waiting. We alighted, gave our 
hand to the Emperor, and together mounted a carriage. 
We drove through every part of the city and along a 
boulevard newly constructed, by an ancient building 
called the Belvedere, where they now have made a collec- 
tion of paintings, and near to the Arsenal — a place where 
arms are kept, which has a high wall and towers, crossed 
a bridge over a branch of the river Danube, and so 
arrived at a long avenue with large trees on either side, 
which led straight to the building of the Exhibition. On 
both sides of this avenue is a spacious park and meadow. 
They have erected some elegant coffee-shops of wood, 
with numerous chairs and gas-lamps, the whole way to 
the vicinity of the Exhibition. From the first place of 



~chap. vi.] Italy, Austria. 327 

our entry into the town until we reached this spot, every- 
where crowds were collected ; but, by reason of the noto- 
riety of the cholera sickness and of the unwholesomeness 
of the air of the city, the whole of the notables thereof 
had gone away to their summer residences in hill- 
stations. 

We arrived at the Emperor's private pavilion outside 
the Exhibition building, where a table was prepared for 
breakfast. We sat down to this and partook of the 
breakfast ; after which, in company of the Emperor, we 
went to the Exhibition, a large enclosure like an Eastern 
bazaar. In the centre of this bazaar a very spacious and 
lofty dome of a globular form was erected — a very mag- 
nificent structure and full of interest. There are stairs 
and a way by which people go to the top thereof to enjoy 
the sight. The whole of this circular apartment, of the 
bazaars, and of the rest, are of iron, common glass, and 
plate -glass. The bazaars branch off from this large 
dome in every direction, the contour of the whole build- 
ing being also circular. It has two passages for entry 
and exit, being closed elsewhere. Beneath the great 
dome they had arranged a very beautiful basin of water 
with a fountain from which water flowed. Great multi- 
tudes were within the Exhibition. They had apportioned 
special sections and places to each nation and State that 
had brought its effects and productions there. For 
instance, the French nation had one long bazaar, and 
two other bazaars by the two sides of that ; in which the 
various productions of their own country were arranged, 
even to the stems of such and such forest trees of such 



328 Diary of a Tour in Etirope. [chap. vr. 

and such a province of France, with the dried leaves of 
the same ; and whatever may be the forms of the cattle, 
wild beasts, or birds of such a town or such a place in 
France, representations thereof were exhibited there. 
From these minor particulars an inference may be drawn 
as to the principal commodities of choice, such as tissues 
of wool and silk, mirrors, plate-glass, warlike implements, 
and others, all of which were sent there in the best 
taste. 

Other nations also in like manner, i.e., some great 
States like Eussia, England, Germany, and even Austria 
itself, had much space, and vast exhibits. The Ottoman 
State, Egypt, Greece, Japan, China, and others, had 
sent a sufficiency of every kind of commodities. 

In this way did we make the tour of the bazaars with 
the Emperor, until we reached the part where the com- 
modities of the Persian State were set forth. Although 
it was but three months that an edict had been promul- 
gated that merchants and others should collect commodi- 
ties and send them — which was much too late, and the 
greater part had not yet arrived, — still we saw a fair 
quantity of precious stuffs and productions. We stayed 
there some little while ; and then the Emperor expressed 
the wish, as the Empress was indisposed and had gone 
to a summer-residence, to go there ; we bade adieu, and 
the Emperor left. We, on our part, went a second time 
round all the bazaars, and in one of them lighted upon 
the Grand-Duke Constantine, brother of the Emperor of 
Russia, and a very charming prince. We stopped and 
exchanged salutations with him, which resulted in a long 



chap, vl] Italy, Austria. 329 

conversation. He was somewhat unwell, and looked 
pale. On my asking his ailment, he told me that on his. 
return from Nicholaieff to (St.) Peter(sburg), he had 
gone to Cronstadt, and there, in passing from one ship to- 
another he had wished to visit, he had had a fall and 
severely injured his foot. It was evident that he had 
been much hurt. 

Well; after leaving the Exhibition, we went to view 
the specimens that had been put up of the buildings of 
various countries. There was one very beautiful build- 
ing, and a grandiose mosque with a tall minaret from 
Egypt ; also, a mansion and a coffee-shop from the Otto- 
man State, and one very beautiful house built by the 
Persian Government. With the exception of these, I did 
not examine those of any other country. We went to- 
the Persian mansion, to which were several steps to be 
mounted. Its builder was a certain architect of the- 
name of Isma'il, together with one carpenter. Although, 
it was but three months that they had been commissioned 
to build this house, they had executed their task with 
great taste, and had so quickly constructed the edifice 
as to elicit wonder and applause. The carpenter and 
the builder were both present, the latter in these three 
months' space having learnt the German language well, 
which was a subject of still greater astonishment. We sat 
down there, the Archduke Eegnier — President of the 
Exhibition — being in our presence. 

Next we went to the Ottoman and Egyptian buildings, 
viewed them, and then drove off in our carriage to town, 
passing through its remaining districts, by its buildings, 



33° Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. vr. 

and into its markets, until we reached the palace in- 
habited by the Emperor, and from thence arrived at the 
station, took our seat in the train, and went home. 
Thanks be unto God that all has gone well. 

The expense of this Exhibition is at the charge of the 
Government, which has incurred an outlay of seven 
crores (1,120,000Z.). Three months hence, when it shall 
have been removed, there will have been realized, from 
ihe sale of materials and the money taken at the doors 
from visitors, a sum of three and a half crores (560,000L), 
half of the outlay being so much loss to the Government. 
They say, however, that from the traffic (hereby occa- 
sioned) there will be large sums gained in other ways by 
the inhabitants and by the State. 

This Emperor has reigned for more than three-and- 
twenty years. Ferdinand I., uncle of this Sovereign, 
was Emperor, but abdicated the Crown and is still living, 
being eighty years of age, and resides at Prague, one of 
the great cities of Austria. The Sovereignty then fell 
to his brother, the father of the present Emperor ; he 
declined it, and gave it to his son. This father of the 
Emperor is also living still. He is in Vienna during the 
winter, but goes to Ischl in the summer as a hill-station, 
where he now is at the present time. 

Sunday, 8th (3rd August). — This day we had no en- 
gagement. In the afternoon we drove in the park and 
had a long row on the lake. The Grand-Vazir and MIrza 
Malkam Khan also came with us in the boat. At sunset 
we returned home. 

The Sanl'u-'d-Dawla and the Muhaqqiq have gone to 



chap, vi.] Italy, Austria. 331 

the town of Baden, which is at a distance of one league 
from this palace. There are hot and cold mineral 
springs at that place, which have great efficacy in certain 
maladies, especially in the affection of paralysis and the 
like. At the present season invalids repair thither to 
undergo treatment. 

Monday, 9th (4th August), — The Emperor has invited 
us to a shooting party for this afternoon, and to dinner at 
Schonbrunn for the evening. Towards the afternoon, 
therefore, we took our seat in a train, went to the palace 
and town of Schonbrunn, alighted from the train, and got 
into a carriage. The Emperor had left for the hunting- 
ground. We therefore pushed on, drove past the suburbs 
of the city of Vienna, where are the summer-residences of 
the citizens, as follows : after Schonbrunn came Stetzen- 
dorff, next Hitzing, and then Laintz, where are the 
shooting-grounds of the Emperor. The road was long. 
There are many mansions and hotels in these villages. 

We drove on until we had left behind us all traces of 
human habitations, and came to a long avenue with dense 
forest on either side, leading to a spot where they had 
surrounded (a part of) the forest with screens of strong 
canvas, white in colour, and high, but in the folds of 
which no wood was used, each cloth, instead of rope, 
having a wooden frame that leant against the screen. 
This is a very excellent arrangement, as against the 
wind. 

Well; around the forest for the extent of about two 
leagues had they set up this fence, and so cut off the 
passage of animals. We arrived there, and saw the 



332 Diary of a Toiir in Etirope. [chap. vi. 

Emperor waiting on foot with the sportsmen, and dressed 
in the costume of a huntsman, having a feather stuck in 
his cap. At intervals, lurking-places of planks, resem- 
bling square boxes, were placed, and around them fir 
branches with their leaves masked the boxes, which were 
raised from the ground and ascended by two steps. There 
were about a hundred of these huts so arranged, and in 
each were three or four breech-loading rifles for balls, 
with a supply of ball-cartridges, and also two or three of 
the magnates seated, who were to fire the shots. 

I wished to descend from the carriage and get on nry 
feet ; but the Emperor opposed this, and so we proceeded 
further on in the carriage, the Emperor, with the others, 
walking on foot, until we reached a hut, higher and further 
forward than any of the rest, which had been allotted to 
us. Here we alighted, got up on to the planks, and there 
took our station, the Emperor going to another hut further 
down. We now took up the Emperor's rifles placed in 
our hut, loaded them, and made ready. 

The Emperor's huntsman, a man of Bohemia, and 
named Count Virbin, a person seventy years old, and hard 
of hearing through age, besides being nearly blind, was 
present ; and with him we held a little conversation about 
the chase in Persia and as carried out by the Emperor, 
which latter is as follows : 

We have already explained that a large number of 
screens had been set up. These screens came along in 
like manner, so that there were screens in front, opposite 
to us, and screens behind us, at our backs. From the 
place where we were seated, to the screen in front, was 



chap, vl] Italy, Attstria. 333 

about thirty feet. There was a door arranged a little 
above the spot where I was, for the entry and exit of the 
game; and there was no other passage by which they 
could come or go. Forty or fifty men drove the deer 
from the forest, and caused them to enter by that door in 
batches of twenty or thirty each. As one of these batches 
entered and came along, the deer passed before the rifle- 
men at a distance of about ten feet, and they began to 
fire, uninterruptedly shooting at the deer with bullets. 
If they did not hit them from this hut, they did from a 
second, a third, or so on to the last, which was a long 
way off. The animals scampered along in quest of a 
place of escape ; but no means of flight was there, and at 
length all were slain. When not one of these was left 
breathing, a fresh batch was driven within the screen, and 
these were likewise slaughtered as their predecessors. I 
also fired a few shots. These deer are of the species of 
the stag, and are not very wild. Two or three batches 
were thus admitted and killed. In 'short, it was capital 
sport, and passed off. very pleasantly. 

The Emperor now came, and together we mounted our 
carriage, driving by the road along which we had arrived 
there, back to the Chateau of Schonbrunn, in the park of 
which we had a walk. It has beautiful avenues, lofty 
trees, with marble statues along the avenues. There is a 
mound at the end of the park, with a building on its 
summit, and a winding path to go up. On arriving there, 
we noticed a zoological garden, which we surveyed in a 
cursory manner. There was an elephant, a rhinoceros, 
some beautiful parrots, and some other animals. This 



334 Diary of a Tour in Europe. [ohai\ tl 

park and the zoological garden are open to the public, 
and people are always walking about in them. 

Well ; we returned to the palace, went to the dinner- 
table, and enjoyed a good repast. After that we returned 
to our own quarters by train. 

In the forenoon to-day the Corps Diplomatique of 
Vienna were received in audience, the names of some of 
the members of which may be here mentioned : Novikoff, 
Envoy from Eussia; the Viscount de Jonghe, Envoy 
from Belgium ; Mr. Jay, Envoy from the United States ; 
Count de Robilant, Envoy from Italy. 

Tuesday, 10th (5th August). — To-day a photographer 
came and took several negatives of us. We strolled 
about a while in the park. An individual brought a 
pump and apparatus which in ten minutes time bored a 
hole in the earth to the depth of ten ells (35 feet), and 
brought up water from thence, pouring out of the pump. 
The apparatus is made of steel and iron, and however 
hard or stony the ground may be, it pierces it. Each 
set of apparatus was of the price of fifteen tumans (6Z.). 
I ordered several sets to be purchased and to be brought 
to Persia. 

In the afternoon we went by train to the city, all the 
princes, and the greater portion of our household omcers 
accompanying us. At sunset we reached the city station 
and alighted. The Emperor had gone to the theatre, 
and thither we repaired also. It was the Grand Opera- 
house of Vienna, and perhaps better than those of all 
other places. We alighted at the door of the theatre, 
and the Emperor was awaiting us at the foot of the 



chap, vi.] Italy, Austria. 335 

staircase. Giving our hand, we went up together. The 
Emperor presented several of the Lady-Princesses, as 
follows : The Archduchess Elisabeth, wife of Charles 
Ferdinand ; Marie-Keniere, Princess de Joinville, wife of 
the son of Louis-Philippe and daughter of the Sovereign 
of Brasil ; Princess Coburg, daughter of Louis-Philippe 
and wife of the Prince of Coburg. We went into the box, 
and took our seat in the middle, these Lady-Princesses 
being to our right and left, the Grand- Vazir behind us. 
The princes of Austria and Germany were all present- 
In justice, it is a very noble theatre. The present Em- 
peror has displayed in this theatre much architectural 
talent. It has five tiers of seats, and a lofty, spacious, 
handsome ceiling, together with most beautiful branches 
for gaslights, chandeliers, and other adornments. The 
audience was numerous. 

The curtain rose. So beautiful a play did they per- 
form, with dancing and music, that the like had been 
witnessed in no place before. The costumes of the 
players were at every moment of a different shape and 
colour, all of rich stuffs and delicate tints. This evening" 
there was a ballet. Each time the scene changed and 
the dance varied, they brought out apparatus for con- 
juring, with demons, genii, and fairies, in a way that set 
one beside himself. The daughters of the Fairy of the 
Night were in a green and most charming forest, the 
moon was declining to its setting, so that its sheen was 
reflected in the water of a stream, — the moon, the ripples 
of the water, and the forest, being all exactly like reaL 
A stout tree had been blown down and had fallen across 



336 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. vx. 

the stream in guise of a bridge, and on this the fairies 
danced. Suddenly demons made their appearance, and 
ihe fairies vanished ; the demons danced, and genii came 
forth. Then the demons disappeared and the fairies were 
;seen again. Now suddenly this green forest and spring 
view was converted into a north-polar region with moun- 
tains of ice ; snow fell ; the waters of the sea brought 
forward pieces of ice like mountains, and again washed 
them away. White polar bears, crocodiles, walruses — 
sea-elephants came and went away again upon the ice. 
A prince was held prisoner in this wintry scene, and was 
about to die, when suddenly the daughters of the pole 
and the fairies of the regions of frost came forth with 
dresses and hair white and covered with snow. They 
brought forth fire from the earth, warmed the prince, and 
all danced together in pretty costumes, and keeping time 
to the music, in every air played, in a manner truly 
wonderful. The prince, with his Vazir, had been made 
a captive in the house of a sorcerer. So many magical 
effects did they represent that it is not possible to describe 
them. 

Ultimately, there was a scene that represented the 
bottom of the ocean. Fishes, various shells, coral flowers, 
seaweeds, marine flowers, the undulation of the water at 
the bottom of the sea, nymphs of ocean — each a saucy, 
coquettish child — tying beneath those weeds and flowers, 
were shown. At one time, from within the shells and 
flowers, one sea nymph would come forth, most lovely ; 
at another, the angels of the clouds would come down 
and dance; sometimes they would sink into the earth, 



chap, vi.] Italy, Austria. 337 

and at other times would mount into the air in a balloon 
or on the back of a griffin, and again come down. The 
correct description cannot be written. Although I had 
not dined, I did not desire it to finish. 

At length all was concluded ; we rose and came down. 
The Emperor accompanied us to the side of our carriage, 
thence departing. We came to the station, took our 
seat (in the train), reached home, dined, and retired to 
rest late. 

Wednesday, 11th (6th August). — In the morning, the 
Grand-Duke Constantine, brother of the Emperor of 
Russia, came, and some conversation ensued. On ac- 
count of the pain caused by his foot, he had a stick in 
his hand. To-day we have to go to Schonbrunn in the 
afternoon to see a review of troops. At that time we 
went to the station and alighted at Schonbrunn, there 
mounting a carriage to proceed to the review. We passed 
through streets and arrived on a grassy plain with short 
herbage that had become yellow. The Emperor, sur- 
rounded by his staff, was waiting on horseback. We, 
too, mounted a horse, the Grand-Vazir, the Husamu-'s- 
Saltana, and our Generals being also mounted. The 
rtizadu-'s-Saltana, the Nusratu-'d-Dawla, and the rest 
were on foot, and stood in front of a small room that had 
been prepared for us, and furnished with a chair. 

We and the Emperor, with the Austrian and Persian 
officers, and others, rode forward. The infantry bat- 
talions, the cavalry, and the artillery, were drawn up in 
five long lines, one behind the other, like a column. We 
passed with the Emperor on horseback in front of each 



2>3& Diary of a Totcr in Etirope. [chap. yl 

of these five lines, composed of very handsome soldiers 
in fine uniforms ; especially the regiments of Hungarian 
hussars and dragoons. The horses of the cavalry and 
artillery were all strong and handsome ; they are procured 
in Hungary, the horses of that country being good. The 
dress of the Austrian infantry has been of white cloth 
from of old, as it still is ; but according to what people 
said, the Emperor wishes to exchange that colour for 
light blue. 

Well; after a long stroll, we came and took up a 
position in front of that same wooden hut, and the troops, 
infantry, cavalry, and artillery, marched past in our 
presence. Altogether they amounted to fifteen thousand 
men. There were also numerous spectators. Some few 
individuals of distinction among the Arabs of the province 
of Algiers, a portion of France, had come to the Exhi- 
bition, and were all there (at the review) on horseback in 
those white Arab clothes and turbans. The Emperor 
went, saluted them, and returned. The names of those 
Arabs were as follows : 'Aliyyu-'sh-Sharlfu Farhan ; Mu- 
hamuiadu-'l-Hanafi ; 'Abdu-'d-Dm Mu'askar ; Hasanu- 
'bnu - Aqdi - 'bni - Ahmada-'l - Jaza'iri ; Muhammadu - 'bnu - 
Muhammadi-'s-Sayfi. They all spoke French well. 

At sunset, when the review was over, we returned 
home. The Emperor and all the principal officers wore 
green feathers in their hats. 

Thursday, 12i/t (1th August). — This afternoon we have 
to go to Schonbrunn because, the Empress having come 
in from her summer-residence, there is a party there. 

After breakfast, the Emperor's brother, who has also 



chap, tl] Italy, Atistria. 339 

come from his summer-residence, and whose name is 
Charles Louis, was received. We gave hands and mutually 
saluted. He was a very pleasant-looking, pleasant-spoken 
man. It was about fifteen days that he had had a wed- 
ding, that is, he had married two wives before, and both 
had died ; he has now taken a fresh wife from among the 
Lady- Princesses of the realm of Portugal, but born and 
brought up in the land of Bavaria, in which land also 
the Emperor's brother held his wedding. After a long 
conversation he left. 

At sunset we went by train to Schonbrunn, arrived 
there, and were met by the Emperor at the foot of the 
staircase. "We took one another's hands. At the top of 
the stairs the Empress was waiting; we reached her, 
mutually saluted, and then, giving her my hand, we went 
into the first room, where there was a congregation of 
the Lady-Princesses and Princes of Austria and Germany, 
who had newly come in from their summer-residences. 
The Emperor presented the men, and the Empress the 
women. The Empress has a very pleasant face and a 
very graceful figure ; she is kind and is a superior person. 
In health, she is rather delicate, and for this reason 
passes the most part of her time at all four seasons away 
from the capital. She is thirty-six years of age. 

Well ; taking the hand of the Empress, we went into 
a large hall, where the members of the Diplomatic Corps, 
with their wives, the Princes of Austria and Germany, 
and the brothers of the Emperor, all were collected. In 
the hall a number of small tables were laid out for 
supper. The Arabs from Algiers, also, were all here 

z 2 



340 Diary of a Tour in Eiirope. [chap. vi. 

this evening. After a good deal of conversation, a 
certain number of individuals took their seats at each 
table for supper. Around our table were the Empress, 
the Grand-Vazir, Qabuli Pasha — the Ottoman Ambas- 
sador, Count Andrassy — the Austrian Premier, and one 
other elderly woman of importance. I sat a long while, 
and had much conversation with the Empress. She 
expressed great regret at not having come several days 
earlier and at having come this evening only to say 
adieu. I, too, moved by her demonstrations of kindness, 
expressed my friendship at great length. 

When supper was over, all rose, and the Emperor 
came. I also rose. In this assembly the Emperor had 
taken a seat with a few other individuals at a separate 
table, and had there supped. We now went out on to a 
long and narrow terrace in front of the palace and 
looking on to the garden, for the purpose of witnessing 
some fireworks. Many chairs were placed there, and we 
sat down with the Empress on our right hand and the 
wife of the Emperor's brother on our left. The other 
Lady-Princesses and women also took their places to 
the right and left. The Emperor remained on foot, the 
rest of the company being some on foot also, and some 
seated. About five hundred musicians were stationed 
in the park and performed airs. There was also an 
immense concourse of spectators. The fountains of the 
basins played. The building on the hill opposite to the 
palace where we were sitting was illuminated and fitted 
with fireworks. The air, too, was clear, and the moon 
was shining most splendidly. The fireworks were superb. 



chap, vr.] Italy, Austria. 341 

They had executed the Order of the Lion and the Sun 
in fireworks very successfully. This was followed up by 
another display. A fortress of fire appeared on the 
border of the sea, and the sea itself was represented by 
fire to the very .life. Ships of war came and besieged 
this fortress, cannon being fired from the ships and from 
the fort ; while an electric light was thrown from the 
roof of the palace of Schonbrunn on to the mound and 
the basins of water, which was extremely beautiful, and 
resembled sunshine or moonlight. 

At the termination to this display of pyrotechny we 
rose, and arm-in-arm with the Empress, while the 
Emperor, giving his arm to the elderly woman of im- 
portance, followed us, we arrived at the staircase of the 
palace, said adieu to the Empress and Emperor, and 
returned home. Thanks be to God, all passed off well. 

Friday, 13th (8th August). — To-day we must go to 
Saltzburg. Rising early in the morning, the Emperor 
arrived about half an hour afterwards, accompanied by 
the whole of the Austrian princes, ministers, and officials. 
In the first instance, the Emperor, with his brothers and 
the princes, came into the room. We advanced and 
gave our hand ; we sat down on chairs and had a long 
conversation, I expressing the great pleasure I had 
enjoyed during my few days' stay at Laxenburg. Gren- 
neville, in attendance on us, came to say the time had 
arrived for us to start. We arose. In another room 
Count Andrassy — the Premier, with the other ministers, 
was waiting. We exchanged salutations, but I did not 
say a last adieu to the princes, Andrassy, and the rest, 



342 Diary of a Tour in Ettrope. [chap. vi. 

being under the impression that they would all come to 
the platform at the station. We took our seat in a 
carriage with the Emperor, and drove off. When we 
reached the station and alighted, the princes and An- 
drassy had remained behind and did not come. We 
felt great regret at not having bid them good-bye ;but, 
exchanging adieux again with the Emperor, we took 
our seat in the train. The Emperor remained on the 
platform to the last, so that even as the train glided 
away, we saluted each other. 

The weather to-day in Vienna and the country was 
very sultry. Again at the town of Lintz the train 
stopped for an hour; and in the same place where they 
prepared breakfast on our arrival, to-day also was break- 
fast made ready. We alighted and breakfasted. One 
hour afterwards we again took our places and were on 
our way. 

At the station of Lambach the train halted. The 
Sovereign of Hanover, with his wife, daughter, and 
servants of distinction, was waiting on the platform. 
We alighted, went, and shook hands with him. We had 
a lengthened conversation, and I expressed the utmost 
sympathy for the Sovereign. The wife of the Sovereign 
is a woman of great good sense, and is of middle age. 
His daughter is exceedingly pretty, graceful, and modest. 
The summer-residence of the Sovereign is near to this 
place, and having heard that we were to pass, he came 
(to meet us). But we were excessively grieved at sight 
of the Sovereign. He was a Sovereign, of political 
importance, possessed of treasures, of an army, f 



chap, vi.] Italy, Austria. 343 

a diadem. The Emperor of Germany, through his wish 
to weld all Germany into one State, was under a 
necessity to take the country of this Sovereign out of his 
hands. Hence, he made war, and quickly routing the 
forces of this Sovereign, made of his dominions a portion 
of Prussia. The Sovereign, with his family and certain 
of his choicest jewels, fled to the land of the Austrian 
State, and up to this time passes his days in the territory 
of the Habsburg Emperor. Added to this misfortune, 
both eyes of the Sovereign are sightless. His wife takes 
him by the hand and leads him about. The Sovereign is 
still quite young-looking, very tall and robust ; but alas, 
his eyes are blind. According to what was told us, he 
had one weak eye in his childhood; upon that, he was 
once playing with a purse of money, or some other thing, 
which struck him in the eye and injured his sound eye. 
His age is sixty-four (read, fifty-four) ; his name is 
George the Fifth, that of his wife is Queen Mary, — 
a Lady-Princess of Saxony, and of his daughter, 
Princess Frederica. Well; we exchanged adieux with 
the Sovereign, went to the train, and again proceeded, 
reaching the city of Saltzburg at sunset. Our quarters 
here were again in the same palace where we had put up 
on our arrival, and the same honours were shown to us 
as then. 

Qabuli Pasha, the Ottoman Envoy (read, Ambassador) 
to Austria, is instructed by his Government to accompan}^ 
us to Brindisi. 

Saturday, 14th (9th August). — We have to go to the 
city of Innsbruck, which is eight hours distant by rail. 



344 Diary of a Toitr in Etirope. [chap. vi. 

In the morning we joined the train and started. We 
traversed the territory of Bavaria, and ascended the Inn, 
a very large stream that flows into the river Danube, so 
arriving at the fortress of Kufstein, built on the frontier 
between Austria and Bavaria. With respect to the river 
that flows by this fortress, the left bank belongs to 
Bavaria, while the right bank is in the Tyrol, and part 
of the Austrian dominions. It is a strong little fort, in 
a valley, upon an enormous rock. There was a garrison 
and artillery in the fort. They fired a salute. A wheel 
of one of our carriages showed a defect, and we had to 
wait a quarter of an hour until the load of that carriage 
was removed elsewhere. A battalion of infantry, with a 
band and numbers of officers were in attendance. The 
Governor of Saltzburg here received his conge, and left. 

Again we got in motion. On our journey hither wards, 
we had passed this region by night, so that nothing of it 
had been seen. To-day when all is visible, it shows 
itself to be a wonderful place — a very spacious valley, in 
the middle of which flows a river, and all around high 
mountains full of forests of pine and yews. The hill-tops, 
the hill-sides, and the hill- skirts are all under crops 
without irrigation. The villages are all at the foot of 
the hills, very charming and pleasant. 

And thus we journeyed to the city of Innsbruck, near 
to which the air became cloudy, with wind ; and a violent 
storm, with heavy rain, broke over us, and cooled the 
temperature. We reached the city three hours before 
sunset. It is a small city, with a population of about ten 
thousand souls ; a pretty and delightful hill- station 



chap, vi.] Italy, Atistria. 345 

for summer, situate in the midst of a valley, while all 
around are lofty, snow-clad mountains. In spite of the 
rain, the number of spectators was great, with many 
troops and bands, infantry and cavalry. A salute was 
fired. 

We arrived at a palace of the Government, which, 
though plain, was elegant and very pretty, with nice 
tables and chairs, a very large and long hall, and the 
most part of the apartments white, being adorned with 
gilt woodwork. In some of the apartments rich silk 
stuffs were on the walls, with oil-paintings — portraits of 
the family of the Emperor of Austria, ancient and 
recent, hung in the rooms. Other paintings, too, were 
on the ceilings of the rooms and other parts. 

To-day the train, near to the city, passed over a bridge 
that crosses the river, and joins on to another bridge 
(viaduct) that comes over the meadows and marshes to 
the station of the town — a very long bridge, certainly 
two thousand ells (2333J yards) or more in extent. The 
difficulty and expense of constructing railroads arise 
from structures of this kind, which must be made of 
great strength. 

Sunday, 15th (10th August). — We have to go to the 
city of Bologna in Italy. In the morning we strolled 
about a while in the great hall and viewed the pictures. 
The rain had continued to fall all through the night 
until morning. The weather was cloudy and misty, but 
little by little it cleared up. Immediately opposite to 
this palace is a small theatre, closed at the present 
season, but open during the winter. 



346 Diary of a Toitr in Europe, [chap. vi. 

The time to start having come, we mounted carriages, 
and left for the train. Nazar Aqa received his conge, 
and proceeded towards Paris. We took our seats in the 
train, and commenced our journey. As the road was all 
upon an ascent, we proceeded very leisurely, — about two 
and a half leagues per hour. Lofty mountains, lovely 
valleys, springs, rivers, cascades, villages, pretty detached 
houses, flowers of all colours, meadows, green fields, on 
both sides of the road were in profusion ; the weather 
also, from the rain which had fallen, was like paradise. 
On our first journey through this part of the country it 
had been night, and nothing had been seen from the 
station of Franzansvest onwards as far as the city of 
Innsbruck, — Franzansvest being one of the strong fort- 
resses of Austria, — we have now, therefore, given the 
above details. 

Well; the road continued everywhere to ascend, and 
the train passed through ten " holes in mountains," — 
not very long ones, — and so we arrived at the princi- 
pal peak and eminence which is named the Brenner, 
and is four thousand three hundred and seventy-three 
feet above the level of the sea. It is a very excel- 
lent place for a summer hill-station, and is very 
picturesque, having snow-clad mountains on every 
side. From Innsbruck to this point the forests were 
dense, the trees being larches in general. The train 
stopped. The waters which flow from this peak in 
the direction of Innsbruck, towards the north, fall 
into the river Danube, and pass thence on to the Black 
Sea ; while those which flow southwards towards Italy 



chap. vi. ] Italy, Austria. 347 

fall into the Po and the Adige, and thence into the 
Adriatic. 

On proceeding again, we advanced only a few leagues 
and reached the spot named Schelleberg, when the train 
stopped anew, as henceforward our road was to be all 
downhill. I noticed the Grand- Vazir, with the rest, 
alighting from their carriages and commencing the 
descent. On enquiring the reason, I was informed that 
it was a very interesting sight to watch the downward 
progress of the train from this place ; and therefore 
alighted also, following them down the hill. We walked 
a considerable distance and came to the village of 
Gossensasse. We passed through the place on foot 
without seeing a single soul. At length I noticed the 
'Imadu-'d-Dawla and the I'tizadu-'s-Saltana, who were 
walking alone, and asked them what they were doing. 
They answered: "We went to see the village church. 
As it is Sunday, all the villagers were in the church, 
and the priest was addressing them from the pulpit. 
When his eye fell upon us, his speech failed him in the 
pulpit, and he was thoroughly bewildered in conjecturing 
who we might be, with these caps and costumes of ours, 
that had arrived in the church of a village in so remote a 
corner of Europe." We then walked on a good bit 
further, but we did not see the train coming ; it had got 
down before we had, and had stopped for us. Thus 
those who had expected to see a sight were all dis- 
appointed, and had fatigued themselves as well. 

We mounted and went on. The further we proceeded, 
the smaller were the mountains and less covered with 



348 Diary of a Tottr in Europe, [chap, vl 

forest; the atmosphere became more sultry; and steep, 
rocky mountains began to be seen. Continuing our 
journey, we came to Franzansvest, alighted there, and 
they breakfasted. This occupied an hour. At all the 
stations the troops, the bands, the officials, and others, 
were in waiting to render the usual honours. Breakfast 
over, we resumed our journey and reached Ala, the 
frontier between Italy and Austria. It was now night, 
and the train stopped. Grenneville, the official in wait- 
ing, together with his subordinates on that duty, were 
received in audience, took their leave, and departed. "We 
showered upon them every sort of civilities, and ex- 
pressed ourselves warmly as to the gratification afforded 
us by the Emperor's kindnesses. Qastiqar Khan, the 
engineer, also went away from this place to his own 
country, and will return thence to Tehran. 

Well ; as far as the fortress of Verona, we had seen 
the country on our upward journey, since it had been 
performed by daylight ; but from Verona onwards to the 
city of Bologna I had not seen. True it was now night, 
but there was a most beautiful moonlight, the mountains 
were left behind, and we were upon the plains. I dined 
in the train ; and after dinner I would not lie down, as I 
pictured to myself that I would take some rest on 
arriving at the end of our day's journey. All my com- 
panions went to sleep, while I continued to explore the 
plains with my eyes. The train, too, was now going ten 
leagues an hour. I observed that the whole plain bore 
crops of Indian corn or rice, with mulberry trees for 
silk. I noticed a few eminences and small hills ; also 



chap, vl] Italy, Austria. 349 

numerous habitations on both sides of our path, — the 
mansions reflecting back the whiteness of the moon- 
light, and producing a pleasing effect. We passed 
through one "hole," — not very long, and across two 
great rivers with five bridges ; and so, at four hours after 
midnight, when the dawn had thrown out its first streaks 
of light, we arrived at the station of Bologna. 

I was extremely worn out from not having slept. The 
Governor of the town, and the officer in command of the 
troops of the place, whose name was Mezzacapo, were 
awaiting us, with the other local magnates. These people 
of the city were also, the whole of them, worn out and 
sleepless ; so that neither could they pay proper attention 
to us, nor could we rightly consider their condition. I 
mounted a carriage ; when a telegram arrived from the 
Sovereign of Italy, who was at a hunting-place in the 
Alpine chain, which expressed his great pleasure at our 
having again arrived in his dominions. 

We drove a long way to arrive at our quarters, — a 
hotel that had been designated by Narlman Khan. We 
went upstairs. My room fronted the public thorough- 
fare. The noise of carriages, carts, cries and talk, as 
well as bands, was such that to sleep for one instant was 
simply impossible. However, in the best way we could, 
we lay down for four or five hours, and even this I 
esteemed a great prize. 

In Vienna and in Italy, &c, excellent water-melons 
are raised. The milky Indian corn is also found in great 
abundance. Other fruits are no great things. 

This night we crossed two rivers; first, the river 



350 Diary of a Toitr in Europe, [chap. vi. 

Adige, which passes by the little town of Bovigo, and is 
the same stream that accompanied us everywhere from 
the valleys of the Tyrol in Austria, after the road began 
to descend at Schelleberg ; secondly, the river Po, which 
flows by the city of Ferrara, and enters the Adriatic Sea. 

Monday, 16th (11th August). — A halt was made in the 
city of Bologna. We breakfasted at the hotel. In the 
afternoon we took a seat in a carriage with Dr. Tholozan 
and the Governor of Bologna, named Count Bardessone, 
and set out for a drive. We came to two towers, erected 
six hundred years ago, very large in diameter, being like 
square obelisks. They have steps within them, so as to be 
ascended, though this is attended with great danger ; for 
it is possible for one to be suffocated inside them from 
lack of air. The one is a hundred and three ells in 
height (360 feet), and is somewhat out of the perpen- 
dicular. The other, not far distant, was expressly con- 
structed by its builder to lean over in like manner, and 
had at first a great elevation. But, as its deviation from 
the plumb-line was very great, fears were entertained as 
to its safety, and it was partly demolished ; so that now 
the half only is standing. 

Next we drove through sundry streets and wards, 
passing by the Bank, which has recently been erected, 
and is a very handsome building. The streets are all 
paved with stone, and kept clean. Including the suburbs, 
the city has a population of one hundred thousand souls. 
Carriages and carts are numerous. It produces excellent 
fruits, — especially peaches and water-melons. 

We then went out beyond the city, drove round the 



chap, vi.] Italy, Atcstria. 351 

walls, which are of brick, of ancient construction, and 
have several gates, as well as a ditch of no great depth ; 
also passed by the Armoury — another recent structure. 
From thence the road began to ascend in a southerly 
direction to some hills, on which people have built a 
number of handsome mansions. There was also one on 
the summit of an eminence, that in olden times had been 
a place of worship, and where the great Popes used to 
lodge when they came to this city. At present the 
Sovereign of Italy has taken possession of it, and it has 
become his private property. 

As this city was, fifteen years ago, in the possession of 
the Pope, and its government in the hands of the priests, 
so now it is entirely the property of the State. We 
arrived at the door of the edifice, entered, and strolled 
about awhile. It is a very ancient structure. Coming 
out again, we walked about all round it, enjoying the 
delightful view it affords over the city and country. I 
observed that, as far as the eye could reach, the whole 
country was green and populous, with abundant crops, 
and here and there isolated mansions that cast back a 
white gleam from among the verdure. One hill there 
was, higher than this eminence ; and on its summit was 
built a beautiful mansion, the summer-residence of one 
of the Khans (noblemen) of Italy, whose name is Vicini. 

Well; at sunset we descended from thence, entered 
the city by a different gate, and passed by a noble old 
building in which is the library of the place. According 
to what they said, it contains many volumes of ancient 
manuscripts and others. We also passed by the house 



352 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. vi. 

of the Governor, around which in the olden time a 
strong wall has been erected, like that of a fortress. It 
is a large and ancient structure. The greater part of 
the buildings of this city are old and venerable, the 
most of them being of stone. 

The name of the hotel in which we are lodged is the 
Hotel Brune. We reached our quarters, and in the 
evening went to the theatre, a handsome edifice and 
large, with five tiers of seats. As we had expressed a 
desire to see some performances on horseback, they had 
arranged the pit of the theatre like a circus ; that is, they 
had enclosed it with a circular barrier of wood, and had 
sprinkled it over with earth. The exhibitions of horse- 
manship were similar to those seen in Paris. There 
were chandeliers and beautiful sconces on the walls, all 
lit with gas. The theatre is white, with gildings on 
wood, the ceiling and other parts being decorated with 
paintings. The audience was numerous. Two women 
performed on the horses ; of whom one was very awkward 
and continually fell from her horse. The other, an 
American, performed well. There was also a pantomime 
of vulgar tricks. As we had not dined, we soon rose and 
returned home, had our dinner, and retired to rest. The 
city is lighted with gas-lamps. A graceful, prettily- 
dressed girl took a whip in her hand at the theatre, and 
exercised the horses, so that they ran, stopped, or stood 
upright, as she commanded, yielding obedience to her 
whip, and submission to the beauty and gracefulness of 
the girl. 

Tuesday, 17 th (12th August). — We have to go to 



chap, vi.] Italy, Austria. 353 

Brindisi, the remotest port in Italy, where some Ottoman 
government vessels are already awaiting to convey us to 
Constantinople. In the morning we rose early and 
breakfasted. Our travelling companions, from eagerness 
to return towards Persia, all went to the station; but 
our departure is put off until three hours before sunset. 
We lingered at the hotel for a short time after breakfast, 
and then, to pass away the time, mounted a carriage, 
and went to see the library. There we found a collection 
of the grandees and officials of Italy. It is a long 
corridor ; and there we saw some writings in the Egyptian 
character, written, two thousand years ago, on the surface 
of wood, which had been rendered clear and delicate, 
like paper. Also, one of the Pharaohs of Egypt had 
sent one of his great captains to a certain place on a 
mission to purchase horses, three thousand years ago ; 
and he too had written in detail the incidents of his 
journey on that kind of paper- wood, in Egyptian and in 
Hebrew. They said they had deciphered it; but the 
translation was not forthcoming. A considerable part of 
the wood and writing had fallen to pieces by decay. The 
writing, as is the case in Persian and Ottoman Turkish, 
is written from right to left. 

There were also some objects usually found in museums, 
of the sculptures of Egj^pt and other places ; and further- 
more, some things which have been recovered from the 
cemeteries of Bologna itself were also placed there. 
Anciently it had been a custom that when any one died, 
they should bury with that person enough provisions for 
several days, together with certain other articles ; and 

A A 



354 Diary of a Tour in Eitrope. [chap. yl. 

these very articles are the things that, after an interval 
of two thousand years, have heen recovered. So much 
so, that the shells of the eggs that were so deposited for 
the dead man to eat, have been collected and placed 
here. The bones of several dead persons, so cleaving to> 
the earth, have been brought forth, and set up on foot. 
In the hand of one of these dead men there was a copper 
coin of the period, which, as I saw, had remained in his 
hand. This coin was given into his hand for the purpose 
that when he came to the bridge of Sirat (that spans the 
abyss between this world and paradise), he should hand 
it over to the toll-keeper of the bridge, in order that he 
might allow him to pass in safety. Another of the dead, 
that had been a woman, has, as I saw, a necklace on her 
neck, together with a ring on the bone of her finger. In 
short, it is a very comprehensive library and museum^ 
The building, which is very ancient, was formerly a 
college with many professors, who had come from all 
parts and gave lessons of philosophy and other things 
within its precincts. After seeing as much as was 
possible, we returned to our carriage and drove to the 
railway station. 

The time for starting, however, had not yet come ; and 
so we had to wait half an hour in a room at the station. 
The Governor of the town, the commanders of the troops,, 
and others, were all there. When the time came, we 
went and took our seat in the train, which was no longer 
the same (that brought us), but had been changed. The 
present one was the property of the Italian Brindisi 
Hallway Company, the cars of which do not communicate.. 



chap, vi.] Italy, Austria. 355 

In the car that followed behind the one in which we were 
seated, there was a coffee-maker and the like ; so that 
whenever we expressed a wish for a galayan (hubble- 
bubble), or other thing, they stretched forth their hands 
and reached it (to ns). 

We started. For the first half league there were at 
all points on onr right hand hills backed up by lofty 
mountains ; on our left, a green plain, with populations, 
trees, and crops. Behind those mountains one can go 
even unto Florence, one of the chief cities of Italy. In 
Rimini, a small town, the Adriatic Sea was first seen, 
looking very pretty. But as we advanced a little further, 
some hills interposed an obstacle, hiding the sea from 
our sight. The mountains on our right, too, came 
nearer. There were populations, mansions, villages, and 
pretty towns, upon the hills and in the plain. We passed 
by Pesaro, Fano, and other places, where the train 
stopped for a few minutes, and where great crowds were 
collected with the hope of seeing us ; so much so, that 
they even fell under the wheels of our carriages in their 
eagerness. Extremely pretty women, and very handsome 
boys, whose features were half-way between those of 
Persians and Franks, were noticed. 

We then came to Ancona, a seaport of importance ; 
but it was now dark, and nothing of it was seen. 
Crowds nocked on to the railway ; a band also was there 
playing. The Governor, military officers, and magistrates 
of the town were received in audience. The Sovereign 
of Italy had specially commissioned the Minister of 
Commerce and Agriculture to present his congratulations 

A A 2 



356 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. vi. 

on our arrival. His name was Baron Final. After 
starting thence we dined and lay down to rest. 

Wednesday, 18th (13th August). — In the morning, on 
awaking, the air was very cool. While sleeping, we had 
passed by the town of Foggia. We now reached Barletta, 
Ban, and Monopoli, stopping at each a few minutes ; and 
so arrived at the town of Brindisi. From Barletta to 
the neighbourhood of Brindisi, both sides of the road 
was everywhere a plantation of olive-trees ; and some 
ancient olive-trees, five hundred } r ears old, were noticed. 
The greater part of the olive- oil of Firangistan is ex- 
ported from these localities. Cotton also was culti- 
vated. 

Brindisi is an ancient, old-looking city ; but since the 
railway has been established, it has begun by degrees to 
be repopulated, and is now a seaport. The post and 
despatches from England for India go by this route; 
also those from India for England, through the Bed Sea 
and Egypt. The people of these parts are extremely 
poor. 

The train stopped. Crowds had collected. Eshref 
Pasha, who was formerly Envoy in Tehran, had come 
with the Ottoman ships ; and the Grand- Vazir introduced 
him to an audience, with Qabuli Pasha, Serkls Efendi — 
the Minister Besident in Italy, and others who had come 
from Constantinople ; and with them we conversed. 
Qabuli Pasha returns hence to Vienna. After that, the 
Governors, civil and military, with other Italian magnates 
residing here, and the foreign Consuls, were also received. 
We then walked to the ship. 



chap, vi.] Italy, Austria. 357 

Two ships have come from His Most Exalted Majesty 
the Sultan ; one named the " Sultaniyya," a yacht of the 
Sultan himself, which has been brought for our accommo- 
dation. I had not seen in Firangistan a yacht so beau- 
tiful and so decorated. She has a spacious hall and 
rooms full of rich furniture. The other ship was named 
the " Tali'a," also a beautiful vessel. In our ship, room 
was wanting. The Grand- Vazir, our household officers, 
and Dr. Tholozan, remained ; and all the rest went to 
the " Tali'a." Through the transport of our luggage, 
and the dispersal of the people, we remained five hours 
at the anchorage ; but we shall get under way for Con- 
stantinople at two hours to sunset. 

In Firangistan, thanks be to God, all has passed safely 
and happily ; God willing, the end of our tour will be 
equally pleasant and auspicious. 

Our journey to-day from Foggia to this place was not 
through a part; so much improved by man ; the greater 
portion being a wilderness, with clumps of heather and 
such like. It had been arranged that we should start in 
another five hours ; but in consequence of a high' wind 
springing up, we remained all night in harbour. 

19^/i {Thursday, 14th August). — In the morning I arose. 
At one o'clock of the day (eleven before sunset) we 
started. The princes and others who had gone to the 
" Tall'a," all came back to our vessel, with the exception 
of Ibrahim Khan, M. Eichard, Nariman Khan, the 
brother of Mirza Malkam Khan, and our horses, saying 
she was a very nasty place, and complaining of the dirt 
and biting beasts. Several had even been bitten by 



358 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. vi. 

cockroaches, and not one of them had been able to 
sleep. 

Well; the dinner and breakfast served up by the 
Sultan's cook were very excellent. Thanks be to God, 
the weather was fine, though there was a little wind, and 
the frequent waves kept the ship in motion. We lay 
down for a space, and on rising we had reached the 
land's-end of Italy, the parts about Otranto ; that is, in 
three hours after leaving Brindisi, we had arrived there ; 
and as we were close in with the shore, the waves were 
much diminished. We now took our breakfast. 

At half an hour to sundown we were abreast of Corfu, 
which we passed to our left. The mountains of the 
island were visible ; but it was at a distance of ten 
leagues or more from us. It is the largest of the seven 
Ionian islands, formerly in the possession of England. 
Ten years ago, however, she voluntarily ceded them to 
the kingdom of Greece. The weather was very fine and 
cloudless, free from wind. The stars twinkled, and, as 
the moon was twenty nights old, she rose late ; but, as 
she emerged from the sea, she offered a glorious spectacle. 
Another singular sight, too, I witnessed from the ship's 
windows. The waters of the sea, cleft by the paddles of 
the steam-wheel of the ship, were converted into foam, 
and assumed the appearance of a white stream, in which 
I remarked a very curious phenomenon. Incessantly, 
from amid the water, and within the foam, did fire shoot 
forth, like lightning. As when the shoe of a horse 
strikes against a stone, or when a flint strikes a light, or 
when the wheel of a diamond- cutter gives out the electric 



'CHAP. VI. 



Italy, Austria. 



359 



light, in like manner did this fire incessantly shine forth. 
It was more abundant in the midst of the foam, less so 
in the rest of the water. 

20f/t {Friday, 15th August). — In the morning, at one 
o'clock of the day, we were opposite to the island of 
Cephalonia, one of the seven Ionian islands, and passed 
it on our left. To-day the sea was calm, and there was 
no wind at all ; so we breakfasted. We passed by the 
island of Zante, — one of the seven Ionian islands, and 
also by Navarino, where the ships of the three Powers — 
Kussia, England, and France, fought with those of 
Turkey and Egypt for the independence of Greece, and 
entirety finishing off the Turkish and Egyptian ships, 
set fire to them ; and at that epoch, the maritime prepa- 
rations of Turkey being entirely destroyed, the kingdom 
of Greece was separated from the Turkish dominions, 
and obtained a separate Sovereign. That battle took 
place fort} r years ago, in the days of Sultan Mahmud 
Khan, father of the present Sultan. In those days 
steamers were not in general use ; all ships were sailing 
vessels. 

Well ; the shores of Greece are little inhabited. It 
was evident that in those mountains there was a great 
lack of water. I examined them through a telescope ; 
they were generally barren, with only a few shrubs on 
some of them. The mountains further inland were 
higher. The land of Greece has offered to notice Aris- 
totle, Plato, Hippocrates, Socrates, Alexander the Great, 
and the ancient philosophers and poets. 

At sunset we were abreast of Cape Matapan, on the 



360 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. vi. 

skirts of the mountains of which a good many habitations 
were observed, all of which belonged to the population of 
Matapan itself. The houses and buildings were white. 
Each family establishment had a kind of tower, of great 
strength ; as though these parts enjoy no great degree of 
security, and therefore, by way of simple precaution, the 
houses are built strong. The mountains hereabouts are 
extremely barren and waterless, having no verdure, not 
even a bush. All are rocky. 

In the night we entered the straits of (Cape) Malea, 
passing between (Cape) Malea (Cape St. Angelo) and the 
island of Cerigo ; this island being on our right, and the 
cape on our left. Hence we turned our faces towards 
the quarter where the sun rises, in the direction of (Con- 
tinental) Greece and Constantinople. Up to this time 
there had been no wind; but, on reaching this strait, a 
light breeze sprang up, and caused the ship to oscillate. 

21s£ (Saturday, 16th August). — When I arose in the 
morning, the wind was blowing ; but the weather was 
fine, and the waves not very rough. Half an hour after 
the morning twelve o'clock, according to the Persian 
method of computing time (by which sunset is always at 
twelve in the evening), we arrived off the Gulf of Athens. 
Athens is the capital of the kingdom of Greece. 

We next passed through the straits of Zea, leaving 
that island on our right, and the cape of Athens (Cape 
Colonna; Cape Sunium) on our left; but the city of 
Athens was far off, behind the Cape, and therefore was 
not seen. The island of Zea is very famous and cele- 
brated, through a book written by Fenelon about the 



CHAP. VI.] 



Italy, Austria, 



;6i 



adventures of Ulysses, who was king of the island, and 
was lost in the war of Troy, his son Telemachus going 
off in quest of him ; but it is very small, and barren ; — 
destitute of water, grass, and trees. The coast of the 
promontory of Athens, too, has many barren mountains. 
On our left hand, upon the shore of Greece, were the 
remains of an ancient building, which I surveyed through 
a telescope. They are upon a rock on the edge of the 
sea, and have many stone columns, like the ruins of 
Persepolis ; as was said, they are of marble ; but some 
are broken, and have fallen down. These remains were 
in ancient days a temple. In Greece, and especially in 
the neighbourhood of Athens, there are many such 
remains. 

After three or four hours we passed through the 
channel between the islands of Negropont and Anclros. 
Negropont, on our left, is a very large island, and is 
attached to Greece ; Andros, on our right, is a small 
island. 

At one hour and a half to sunset we were opposite the 
little islet of Psara, which belongs to the Ottoman ; and 
behind it was Scio, a large island, called Saqiz (Mastic 
Island) by the Ottomans. On our left again was the 
island of Skyros, which belongs to Greece ; but it was 
far off and not visible. 

The distance from Brindisi to Constantinople is seven 
hundred and eighty miles, which is, in Persian reckoning, 
two hundred and sixty leagues. The weather, thanks be 
to God, was beautiful ; but an adverse wind blew unin- 
terruptedly. The ship stoutly held her own against the 



362 Diary of a Tour in Europe. [chap, vi, 

billows, and made good way ; but one league, out of her 
speed of three leagues per hour, was cut off; so that she 
only went at a rate of two. 

I went to rest. At half-past six o'clock (from sunset) 
the ship suddenly stopped ; which alarmed us. I asked, 
and was told she had been purposely stopped, since the 
channel of the Dardanelles was near at hand, and they 
did not wish to enter it by night. In order to be quite 
sure and to know that the ship had no defect, I said they 
might go on for another half hour. They then went on 
again, and I resumed my couch. When the half hour 
expired, the ship was again stopped. The moon had 
now newly risen, and the weather was very temperate. 
Two hours later, we again made way towards the Dar- 
danelles. 




CHAPTER VII. 

TURKEY ; 11 DAYS. 

^ ^ ND {Sunday, 11 th August). — When I arose in 
^mj ^af the morning it was two o'clock of the day, 
and we passed by a small island on our right hand, 
named Tenedos, from the fortress of which a salvo of 
guns was fired. On our left hand, opposite to Tenedos, 
was the island of Lemnos, rather large. 

After breakfast we arrived at the (entrance to the) 
channel of the Dardanelles, on both sides of which they 
have constructed strong forts. The first of these forts is 
that of Tenedos, on the right hand ; the second, on the 
left hand, on the European shore, is Seddu-'l-Bahr 
(Barrier of the Sea) ; and on the right, opposite the 
Sedd, is Qmn-Qal'asi (Fort of the Sands) ; the third, on 
the left, in Europe, Shahin Qal'asi (Fort Falcon), which 
is in ruins, and on the summit of a hill ; it was formerly 
a stronghold, and still has a garrison, with guns. After 
this comes the Qal'a-i-Sultaniyya (Fort Sultan), on the 
left, in Asia ; there being also, to the left, and opposite 
this fort, several other forts, towers, and batteries. Fort 
Sultan (at the town of the Dardanelles) has many guns, 
and its walls are built of stone. It had a garrison of 



364 Diary of a Tour in Etirofte. [chap. yh. 

troops, and around it were numbers of buildings and 
mansions, with beautiful houses. To-day we have noticed 
many ships, merchantmen, yachts, and others. The 
ships of the Austrian (Lloyd's) Company frequently 
passed by. These castles and fortifications have always 
been in existence from days of old, and the Ottoman 
Sultans have repaired them ; not that they have newly 
erected forts. On the left-hand side, opposite the town 
around Fort Sultan, there was (another) group of build- 
ings on the shore of the channel, which is named Killdu- 
'1-Bahr (Key of the Sea). The whole of these erections 
are portions of the Dardanelles (Chanaq Qal'asi, Fort 
Crockery; so named from the great manufacture of 
coarse earthenware carried on in and around the town, 
which also bears this name, and represents the ancient 
Ab} T dos, as the village at the Kilid represents the ancient 
Sestos). 

Well ; at five o'clock of the day we arrived before the 
town of the Dardanelles, and a salvo was fired from each 
of the forts. There was also a large Ottoman ship of 
war at anchor there, which fired a salvo, — a fine ship 
with three masts and thirty guns. Muhammad Kushdi 
Pasha, known by the patronymic of Shirwani-Zada (son 
of the man of Shirwan — in Georgia), and actual Grand- 
Vazir of the Ottoman State, had come to the Dardanelles 
to meet us on the part of the Sultan. Our ship also 
cast anchor, and came to a stop in front of Fort Sultan. 
As it is but ten hours' steaming from this place to Con- 
stantinople, if we should go on at once to-day, we should 
reach there by night; hence we remain here until the 



char vii.] Tier key. 365 

afternoon ; and, please God, we shall proceed during the 
night, so as to arrive at Constantinople in the morning. 

The Ottoman Grand- Vazir, and Hajji Muhsin Khan — 
the Persian Minister Plenipotentiary, came on board from 
the shore in a boat. Our Grand- Vazir introduced the 
Ottoman Grand- Vazir to an audience. Shirwani-Zada 
is a sagacious man of great intelligence and understand- 
ing, of a pleasing disposition and well-spoken, and is 
corpulent, thickset, and short, with a round black beard, 
and speaks Persian. After a few minutes' conversation 
he went out, and presently returned again, with our 
Grand- Vazir, and presented the following personages 
who were with him : Kan'an Bey — Amedi of the State 
Council (Secretary for all incoming official communica- 
tions) ; Nazif Pasha, Governor- General of the islands in 
the Egsean Sea ; Eyyub Pasha, commanding in chief the 
forces stationed at the forts in the channel of the Dar- 
danelles ; Emm Efendi, Custos Eotulorum of the pro- 
vince ; Esh-Sherif Kushdi Efendi, judge of the province, 
who wore a turban ; Nesh'et Bey, chief of the office of 
investigations, who also wore a turban; Mustafa Bey, 
colonel of artillery; another Mustafa Bey, lieutenant- 
colonel, aide-de-camp of the Grand- Vazir; Sami Bey, 
colonel of police of the province ; Hafiz Bey, colonel ; 
Bushdi Bey. 

At one hour and a half to sunset we weighed anchor 
and resumed our voyage towards Constantinople. Some 
very graceful Frankish women had mounted in boats, 
and came near to our ship. There are many foreign 
■Consuls at the Dardanelles, who have built handsome 



366 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap, vil 

houses. Our Grand- Vazir mounted a boat and went 
ashore to return the visit of the Ottoman Grand- Vazir. 
The Ottoman Grand- Vazir's steam yacht is a very hand- 
some vessel, and followed in our wake, the Tali'a bringing 
up the rear. 

We went on. On both sides of the channel were line 
forts with many guns. We passed three or four forts 
and batteries of earthworks, erected after the system of 
the Franks. Those which are after the new system of 
Firangistan have been raised within the last ten or fifteen 
years ; the rest, which have stone walls, are from times 
of old. On either side of the channel there are hills ; 
and behind them again, mountains ; all full of forests and 
trees. Gallipoli and its fortifications are at the (upper) 
extremity of the channel of the Dardanelles, from whence 
one enters into the little Sea of Marmara. From the 
commencement of this channel to its extremity next the 
Sea of Marmara is (a distance of) forty miles, that is, 
twelve Persian leagues. We passed Gallipoli in the dark, 
so that it was not seen. 

23?yZ (Monday, 18th August). — When I arose in the 
morning, the coasts on either hand were visible at a 
distance. The ship, too, had proceeded slowly. On 
nearing Constantinople a speed was kept up that would 
bring us to the entrance of the Bosphorus at the prefixed 
hour of five o'clock in the day (about noon at that season). 
I dressed. By slow degrees we neared the land on our 
left — the Rum-Eyli or European side ; and some build- 
ings and habitations became visible, beautiful houses 
being there built. Some manufactories were also noticed, 



chap, vii.] Turkey. 367 

which they said were small- arms works and cloth-mills. 
The whole of the shore was hilly and rolling ground, with 
fir and cypress trees, and also forest trees. They gene- 
rally plant the cypresses in and ahout the cemeteries; 
but there are also cypresses in the valleys and upon the 
mountains. 

Passing on from these habitations, Islambul (a word 
that has been coined, in times gone by, as a substitute 
for the common Istanbul, vulgarly Stambul, formed from 
€ts tt\v ttoXlv, to. or at the city — the capital, i.e., to or at 
Constantinople, as we say : to or in town, i.e., to or in 
London) came in sight. Again we took a turn about, in 
order that the time might arrive. Then the ship " Sul- 
taniyya " stopped, and we went in a boat to a ship of the 
Sultan's, named the " Pertev-i-Piyala " (Ray of the Goblet) 
which is the name of the Sultan's mother, — that had 
been sent with the Grand- VazTr to the Dardanelles in 
order that we might enter the Bosphorus in her, — and in 
which the Grand- Vazir was embarked, following in our 
wake. The Ottoman Grand- Vazir came to our vessel, 
and again accompanied us to the " Pertev." This ship is 
smaller than the " Sultaniyya," but is extremely elegant 
and pretty. Its cabin is fitted up with inlaid-work, and 
is richly furnished. I went on to the deck of the vessel. 
About three thousand Persian subjects, of whom there 
are great numbers in Constantinople, had embarked in 
five large steamers, and come out to meet us. They 
brought their ships near to mine ; and just at that 
moment our Grand- Vazir, with the princes and others in 
a boat, was coming from that other ship to this one, 



368 Diary of a Tour in Ettrope. [chap. vn. 

when one of the vessels with the Persian subjects on 
board, turned on her steam and made way, so as to come 
nearer to our ship ; and little did it lack that she did not 
strike against the boat of the Grand-Vazir and others, 
and drown them all. God showed mercy, and by some 
means they escaped, reached (our ship), and came up (on 
deck). The greater part of our household officers were 
even in their State costumes. The other household 
officers, and others, all remained in the first ship. 

Well; we proceeded. On our right hand were a 
number of islands (Princes' Islands), with hills and trees ; 
some even with a spring of water. They told me that 
mansions are being built for certain Franks and wealthy 
Ottomans, so that in summer they may go thither for 
strolls ; but we saw no buildings. It may be that they 
are in valleys and behind the hills. 

We arrived at the beginning of the habitations of the 
city of Islambul. On the left hand is the land of Europe ; 
on the right, the land of Asia. We proceeded in the 
vicinity of the land of Europe. Certain steam ships, in 
which the foreign ambassadors were embarked to come 
and meet us, were observed. The first of the habita- 
tions were some houses. Next, there commences an 
ancient stone wall, with towers. This is a fortress 
dating from the days of the Cassars. As this kind of 
fortifications are no longer of any use, they do not repair 
it ; but, since it is all of stone and very strong, the most 
part of it still remains standing. This wall surrounds the 
old city of Islambul, the whole of which is on the summits 
of hills, on their slopes, or in their valleys. The habita- 



-chap, vil] Turkey. 369 

iiions of the city extend the whole length of the Bos- 
phorus ; but these have not much width ; and the great 
bulk and busy part of the inhabited quarters, the city and 
stronghold of Islambul, is within this fortress, and from 
hence to the old palace (at Seraglio Point), to the palace 
-of Beshik-Tash, to the Sultan's waterside residence of 
Chiragan, within which are the great mosques, like those 
of Saint Sophia and other imperial cathedrals, the 
Government Offices (the Downing Street of Constanti- 
nople — the " Porte "—the " Sublime Porte," as it is 
called in Europe), — in which the Ministers and Coun- 
cillors of State have their places of business, the Ministiy 
-of War, the Ministry of Mines and Commerce, barracks 
of great extent, hospitals, bazaars, caravanserais, and the 
like ; — all are there. Beyond these, too, every part of 
the Bosphorus, the summits of the hills and of the moun- 
tains, are all inhabited and covered with fine houses, 
-unosques, and the like, as far as BTyuk-Dera (Buyouk- 
dereh) and Tarapiya (Therapia), which are the summer- 
■stations of the foreign Representatives. These, however, 
are detached and isolated from each other. On the right 
hand, again, which is the Asiatic shore, and is also 
called Iskyudar (Scutari), there are magnificent build- 
ings and beautiful mosques; especially, the barracks of 
Selimiyya — most splendidly built. This side also, like 
the other, is all hill and vale, with woods of cj^press, 
pine, and oak. Every one, too, who has a mansion and 
garden, plants orchards of fruit-trees, kitchen-gardens, 
and flower-gardens, bringing water to those gardens and 
trees with the greatest taste. The forest- trees, however, 



370 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap, vil 

require no water, being independent of irrigation. Ac- 
cording to information received, on the other side of 
these hills there are extensive and dense forests that can- 
not be penetrated ; but, as the hills themselves are near 
to habitations, the greater part of their trees have been 
cut down ; only a certain number of pines, cypresses,, 
and others have been preserved to ornament the houses 
and hills. 

Well; after the wall and towers, there was a place 
made famous by the name of the Seven Towers, which 
was, as it were, the ark, the citadel of this city. It has 
walls of stone and several large towers. It acquired its 
celebrity from this circumstance, that, formerly, the 
Ottoman Sultans, with whatsoever State they declared 
war or took offence, immediately seized upon the person 
of the Eepresentative of that State resident in Constan- 
tinople, together with his subjects and attaches, cast 
them into prison in the Seven Towers, and sometimes 
even put them to death. 

After that place, we came abreast of the cathedral 
mosque of Sultan Ahmed, of that of St. Sophia, and of 
others ; and then reached the old Seraglio, the former 
residence of the Ottoman Sultans, which is built upon 
the summit of a lofty eminence, with a strong wall all 
round it. The Ottoman Sultans no longer inhabit it. 
The " Sublime Porte," also, and other edifices, were 
noticed at a distance. The residence of the Persian 
Minister Plenipotentiary, built by this our present Grand- 
Yazir, is also within that part of the city, and is a very 
handsome building. 



chap, vii.] Turkey. 371 

Next we reached the offing of Galata and of Bey-Oglii, 
i.e., Pera, the winter place of residence of the Foreign 
Bepresentatives, and where the greater portion of the 
Franks have their quarters. Then we came upon the 
palace of Dolma-Bagcha, — called also the palace of 
Beshik-Tash, — where the Sultan dwells, with the Harem, 
the Sultana-Mother, and others of the imperial family, 
as also the princes of the blood. This is a very fine 
and imposing edifice ; and was built by the Sultan 
'Abdu-'l-Mejid Khan, who was the reigning Sultan's 
brother. Passing thence we came abreast of the sea- 
side palace of Chiragan, — an exceedingly beautiful 
structure. It was originally founded by the Sultan 
Mahmud Khan, father of the present Sovereign, who has 
recently renovated and completed it. At last we came 
in front of the palace known by the name of Beyler- 
Beyi, our own quarters, situated to the right, on the 
Anatolian side, and on the brink of the Bosphorus. It 
is so called from being built in the parish of that name, 
and is a very stately structure. 

As the current of the waters of the Bosphorus sets 
from the Black Sea towards the Sea of Marmara, and is 
very rapid, like that of a river, in certain places, espe- 
cially in front of this palace, where it attains its utmost 
velocity, our ship could not cast anchor immediately 
opposite to the palace ; but, passing about a thousand 
feet tether up the channel, stopped there. 

A few moments later, His Most Exalted Majesty the 
Sultan, who was at the palace of Beyler-Beyi, mounting 
a boat which he had caused to be specially prepared for 

BB 2 



372 Diary of a Tour in Ettrope. [chap, m 

us, came on board. We took seats, and the two Grand- 
Vazirs also seated themselves. After a little conver- 
sation we arose, descended from the ship, got into the 
boat with the Sultan ; the two Grand- Vazirs, and Husayn 
'Avni Pasha — the Minister of War, were also with us in 
the boat. We arrived at the stairs of the palace, and 
landed. A battalion of infantry, with a band, were in the 
court and garden of the palace, the band playing. The 
Sultan led us upstairs, and pointed out to us the apart- 
ments and rooms of our quarters ; then, after the ex- 
change of numerous civilities, he returned to his own 
residence. The Sultan's age is forty-four — the same as 
our own. 

To-day, as we came up the Bosphorus, numerous 
salutes were fired from the forts, and from the war-ships 
of the Ottoman fleet. We noticed four large war steamers 
in the Bosphorus, — some of which were armour-clad, — and 
which are always anchored in front of the Sultan's palace. 
Well; half an hour afterwards I mounted my boat, 
with the Grand- Vazir, the Mu'tamadu-'l-Mulk, and the 
{Ottoman) Grand Master of Ceremonies — 'Ali Bey ; and 
went to return the visit of the Sultan at the palace of 
Dolma-Bagcha. This is a very magnificent edifice, the 
greater part of the staircases, the panels of the walls, the 
columns, and the like, being of marble. The Sultan 
met us at the foot of the stairs. In the very warmest 
manner we gave our hand, went upstairs, sat a while 
conversing, and then, rising, returned to our quarters 
and made ourselves at home. 

The palace of Beyler-Beyi is a most beautiful struc- 



chap, vil] Ttcrkey. 373 

ture. Its stairs, and the panels of the walls of the 
staircases are all of marble. It is partly in the Euro- 
pean, partly in the Persian, and partly in the Ottoman 
st}des; being by this means extremely pleasing to the 
eye. The whole of the furniture in the rooms, such as 
curtains, chairs, sofas, tables, looking-glasses, chande- 
liers, and candelabras, are very rich and elegant. The 
rooms are hung with rich European stuffs ; the windows 
are all in single sheets of plate-glass, very wide, long, 
and heavy ; but arranged in such a manner that a child 
can easily raise and lower them ten times in succession, 
opening them to any desired extent, and leaving them so 
without support, prop, or assistance of any kind. As 
left, so they remain ; and one can, without danger, put 
one's head out of -window under them. We had seen 
similar windows in London. They are a very excellent 
contrivance. The whole of the windows in all the 
Sultan's palaces are of plate-glass and on this plan. 

The width of the Bosphorus is more than a thousand 
ells (nearly 1200 yards). One can distinguish, without 
the aid of a glass, every one who passes along on the 
other side, in whatever coloured dress he may happen to 
be. A musket-ball could easily traverse the interval 
between the two shores. The depth of the water is from 
ten to twenty ells (35 to 70 feet, 6 to 12 fathoms) ; some 
parts being as much as a hundred and ten ells (385 feet, 
64 fathoms) deep. The largest ship of war can navigate 
every part of the Bosphorus. 

The position and site of the city of Constantinople 
are without rivals in the world. For instance : One 



3 74 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. vn. 

can purchase in the New World the chandeliers, tables, 
chairs, and furniture of a whole palace, and, without the 
deposition of a spot of dust upon them, or their being 
again moved, can bring them to the foot of the palace on 
the Bosphorus, and there open them. Marbles, &c, 
anything one desires for his mansions can be brought 
from all countries with the greatest facility to this place. 
In like manner, merchandize of every description can be 
brought in ships easily from all parts of the world, and 
exported hence in like manner. 

There is one very . spacious, handsome, and highly 
decorated hall in this palace of Beyler-Bejd. The 
greater part of the ceilings are of wood and boards, but 
exquisitely painted. The mats which cover the floors 
are of the finest quality ; and over these are extended 
narrow slips of- European carpeting, upon which people 
walk. Beneath this hall is a place with a basin of water, 
of marble, and very handsome. Water flows into the 
basin from certain figures, the basin being of one block 
of marble. The temperature here is very agreeable, and 
exactly suited to the summer weather. It has columns 
of marble also. 

Our suite are all lodged in this palace. Within it is a 
handsome hot-and-cold bath of marble, with small basins 
of marble around it, each provided with taps for hot and 
cold water. As it was some time since we had taken a 
bath, we made use of this opportunity, and then went 
for a stroll in the gardens, where we walked about a con- 
siderable time. The garden being on the skirts of a 
hill, is subdivided into terraces, one above the other ; 



■chap, vil] Turkey. 3)5 

each terrace having marble steps on either side for going 
up and down. Around each terrape also are small hand- 
rails of bronze ; and upon these are single gas-lamps, 
liere and there. The sustaining wall of each terrace is 
covered with ivy — the plant that climbs up plane-trees 
and is always green, — which clings to it and clothes it, 
as it were, in a most beautiful robe of emerald. There 
are also pear-trees, peach-trees, plum-trees, apple-trees, 
and the like ; as also lovely flower-beds of elegant com- 
position, in the European style. There are handsome 
statues and sculptures of marble, of maned-lions of 
Africa, and others, around basins of water ; as well as 
statues of bronze, of horses and bisons. Five or six 
terraces are thus laid out in handsome gardens, and are 
provided with marble steps, balustrades, and the like ; 
having charming views over the Bosphorus. On the 
upper terraces there are also some beautiful lodges and 
pavilions, all forming part of the establishment of this 
palace of Beyler-Beyi. We went through them all ; 
they are most elegantly furnished. There was one 
building with a basin of water and a fountain, of marble, 
very handsome ; against the walls on two sides of the 
room were ranged sculptured marbles also, in the form 
of large vases, carved out in three rows ; on the top of 
each one of the upper vases was a tap, and when this 
was opened a small stream of beautifully clear water ran 
out of it into the first vase. As soon as the top row of 
vases became brimful and running over, the water flowed 
into those of the second, and thence again into the third 
row, the vases of which resembled small basins, and had 



3j6 Diary of a Tour in Ettrope. [chap, til. 

each a hole through which the water disappeared. This 
was very chaste and pleasing ; also spreading around in 
the room a delightful coolness. 

In these upper terraces and gardens the Sultan has 
dovecotes, with large numbers of pigeons — very spacious- 
The keepers were at their post, and they preserve the 
place in the highest degree of neatness. They said the 
Sultan often comes there to see the birds. Besides 
these, there were parrots of all colours, sporting dogs, 
and a stud of hunters, cocks and hens, and other animals. 
We strolled about there a good long while ; and then 
descending, returned to our quarters. 

Between the original city of Constantinople proper (on 
the one hand), and Galata, with Pera and the parish of 
Qasim-Pasha (on the other), there is another inlet 
besides the great channel of the Bosphorus ; and the 
further extremity of this inlet (the Golden Horn) 
extends as far as the hills and mountains. The width 
of this inlet is much less than that of the Bosphorus 
itself. There are two bridges across it, that afford a 
passage between Galata and Constantinople. 

24f/i {Tuesday, 19th August). — This day we breakfasted 
at home ; and after breakfast the Diplomatic Body resi- 
dent at Constantinople, as also the Ottoman Ministers, 
came to audiences. Before them, however, Ferld Pasha 
had come on the part of the Sultana-Mother with a 
message of welcome, congratulations for our safe arrival, 
and kind enquiries as to our health. The Ottoman 
Ministry were next received, and then the Diplomatic 
Corps. 



chap, vil] Ttirkey. 377 

First, Ignatief, the Eussian Ambassador, came ; and 
we had some conversation in a small room. He is; 
young, good-looking, and pleasant-spoken. He shaves 
his beard, but has a moustache. 

He left, and Elliot (the Eight Hon. Sir Henry George- 
Elliot, G.C.B.), the English Ambassador, came in. He 
shaves his chin, but has a beard on his cheeks. With 
him, too, we had a long conversation. 

When he went out, we came into the hall where all 
the other Eepresentatives of Governments, together with 
their respective suites, were drawn up and standing. In 
the first place, the Eussian Ambassador presented his 
suite, to the number of about twenty souls. Next the 
English Ambassador presented those of his mission. 
We then approached the other Eepresentatives, and 
some words were exchanged with each. The following 
are the names of these Eepresentatives, and of the Otto- 
man Ministers : 

Ottoman Ministers. 

Muhammed Eushdi Pasha, Shirwani-Zada, Grand- 
VazTr ; 

Midhat Pasha, President of the 'Aclliyya Council ; 
Eiza Pasha, ex-Minister of Marine ; 
Husayn 'Avni Pasha, Minister of War ; 
Eashid Pasha, Minister of Foreign Affairs ; 
Ahmed Pasha, Minister of Marine ; 
Jevdet Pasha, Minister of Public Instruction ; 
Hamdi Pasha, Minister of Finance ; 
Kyani Pasha, Minister of Public Works ; 



3J& Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. vn. 

Mahmud Pasha, Minister of Commerce ; 

Sadiq Pasha, Minister of Taxes ; 

Kemal Pasha, Minister of Estates in Mortmain ; 

Galib Bey, Custos Kotulorum of the Privy Domain. 

Foreign Bepresentatives. 

Ignatief, Ambassador of Kussia ; 
Elliot, Ambassador of England ; 
Xiesourd, Charge d' Affaires of France ; 
Ludolf, Minister of Austria ; 
Euhmann, Minister of Germany ; 
Grimberghe, Minister of Belgium ; 
Covo, Charge d' Affaires of Italy ; 
Booker, Minister of the New World ; 

&c. 

At five hours to sunset we went in a boat to the ship 
" Pertev-i-Piyala," took our seat on board, and started 
for a promenade on the water to the upper parts of 
the Bosphorus in the direction of Biyuk-Dera (Large 
Valley). From the palace of Beyler-Beyi to the utter- 
most limit of the Bosphorus, which is at Bi} r uk-Dera, is 
half an hour's voyage in a steamer. The following are 
the most beautiful of the palaces and seaside-residences 
which we noticed on the Bosphorus. On our right 
hand, the shore of Asia : 1. The palace of Gyuk-Su 
(Azure Kivulet), one of the buildings of the Sultan 
'Abdu-'l-Mejid Khan, is a small pavilion of two stories, 
the steps and walls of which are all of marble, this 
marble being carved and sculptured in the most charm- 






chap, vii.] Ttcrkey. 379 

ing manner. The ornamental furniture thereof is also 
entirely from the clays of the late Sultan 'Abdu-'l-Mejid 
Khan, as is attested by his cypher being on them. There 
is also a small park and garden around this pavilion, 
which are very pleasant places. A small stream flows 
into the Bosphorus near to it, the name of which is 
Gyuk-Sii, i.e., azure rivulet; and from it the pavilion 
takes its name. 

The greater part of the marbles that are used in the 
(construction of the) palaces of Constantinople is brought 
from the quarries of Italy. 

2. The palace of the Lady- Sultana 'Adila, sister of the 
Sultan, is a very splendid palace and garden. 

3. The house of the Sharif <Abdu-'l-Muttalib, former 
Sharif (Prince) of Makka the Magnified, who now con- 
strainedly sojourns at Constantinople. 

4. The house of the late Fu'ad Pasha, Minister of 
Foreign Affairs. 

5. The house of Rashid Pasha, present Minister of 
Foreign Affairs. 

6. The house of Res'iif Bey (son of Rif'at Pasha, a 
former Minister of Foreign Affairs, &c). And others. 

On the European shore, being at our left hand : 

The different mansions of the Foreign Kepresentatives, 

which are generally handsome buildings with beautiful 

gardens. Such are : 

7. That of the Russian Ambassador ; 

8. The sea-side residence of the Khidiv of Egypt, very 
beautifully built. 

9. The sea-side residence of the Lady-Sultana Fatima, 



380 Diary of a Tour in Eitrope. [chap, vil 

daughter of the late 'Abdu-'l-Mejid Khan. These two- 
edifices are built in the quarter named Emirgyan. 

10. The house of Kushdi Pasha, the Grand- Vazir. 

In short, we went on until we had passed Biyuk-Dera r 
where the waters of the Bosphorus have produced a 
valley, that has swerved somewhat to the left, and around 
which are palaces and mountains. They have named it 
Bryuk-Dera ; which means : Big Valley. We then re- 
turned, and the ship was stopped opposite to the palace 
of Gyuk-Su, where we went in a boat to the palace, and 
strolled all over it. It was a very sweet place. Again 
we mounted our ship, returned, and came home. 

25th {Wednesday, 20th August). — To-day we are the 
guests of the Sultan to breakfast at the sea-side residence- 
of Chiragan. We went. At the landing-place, the Otto- 
man Grand- Vazir, Midhat Pasha, the Minister of War,, 
the Minister of Marine, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, 
and others, were waiting. To each was addressed an en- 
quiry as to health. The Sultan was on the stairs ; we 
gave hands and saluted ; then went up stairs. In the 
first place we adjourned to a private room, and sat awhile 
with the Sultan ; our Grand- Vazir being also present, 
W T e then rose and went into another room, where a table 
was laid out in European fashion. We took our seats, 
and breakfast was dispatched. We talked much with the 
Sultan. The Sovereign of England had addressed a 
telegram to us from Scotland, with an enquiry after our 
health, and containing a similar enquiry after the health 
of the Sultan. This selfsame telegram we this day com- 
municated to the Sultan, and gave him the salutation of 



chap, vn.] Ttirkey. 381 

the Sovereign of England. Breakfast over, we retired to 
another room, sat down, and took coffee ; after which, 
rising, we went home. 

In the afternoon we went out of the upper garden-gate 
{the back or land gate) of this palace, mounted our horse, 
and went for a ride, as I wished to go to the top of a high 
hill (Chamlija), 1 more lofty than any of the rest, and 
from thence enjoy a view of the city, the Bosphorus, and 
their environs. We pushed on through streets, by in- 
habited places, and handsome isolated houses ; and 
observed a beautiful house and garden belonging to the 
Khidiv of Egypt ; so arriving at the summit, I rode the 
liorse of the Yaminu-'d-Dawla. I alighted on the sum- 
mit of the hill, where the air was very cool. The condi- 
tion of the hill, of the plants, and of the atmosphere, was 
very similar to that of the hills and atmosphere of Kajur- 
Kala, a village of Mazandaran. A tomb, with a room 
for a single keeper, were there, on the top of the hill, 
'extremely small. The keeper was there himself also. 
He said that there a Pir (saintly Elder) and Dervish 
{voluntarily poor man) had been buried. I entered. The 
tomb was long. The view was most magnificent. Be- 
hind the hills to the east there is a vast plain that goes 
through Anatolia as far as Tehran ; perhaps, it may 
extend as far as China. Mountains were visible ; but of 
habitations, not many were observed. Towards the west, 
the Sea of Marmara, five inhabited islands, together with 
ships that were either stopping, coming, or going, were 
visible. On the north side, were Biyuk-Dera and the 
Bosphorus. In short, it was a beautiful place. 



382 Diary of a Tour in Etirope. [chai\ til 

We then descended by a different path, and arrived at 
a street paved with stones, where the horse had a diffi- 
culty to keep his feet. We even walked a certain distance, 
and so returned to the palace. 

26th (Thursday, 21st August). — We breakfasted at 
home ; after which we went to the city of Islanibul to 
pay visits to the mosque of Saint Sophia and the resi- 
dence of the Persian mission. 

Before we started, Yusuf 'Izzu-'d-Dm Efendi, eldest 
son of the Sultan, who is sixteen years of age, and a 
handsome prince, came to see us. We took our seats in 
a room, had a little conversation, and the " Most Sacred 
Order," with its broad ribbon, which is one of the " most 
noble Orders " of the Persian State, was conferred upon 
the prince. A few minutes after he had departed, we 
mounted our boat and went to the palace of Chiragan to 
return the visit of Yusuf 'Izzu-'d-Dm Efendi. Eising' 
from thence, we again mounted our boat and proceeded 
to the landing-place of the city. Crowds of the people 
of Constantinople, of Persian subjects, and of Franks,, 
had assembled in ships and on shore. The Beyler- 
Beyi (lord of lords) of the city, named Isnia'il Pasha,, 
called also the Shehr-Emini (Prefect of the City) 
was present with the members of the administration, 
some regular cavalry, and numerous policemen, to keep 
the people in order. We took our seat in an open car- 
riage. Although the streets go up hill and down dale, 
still a carriage can go about everywhere. We drove 
along, and arrived at the mosque of Aya-Sofiya (Saint 
Sophia, 57 ayta o-o#ta, the holy wisdom), alighted, and 



chap, vil] Ttirkey. 



0^v> 



entered. The servants of the mosque were drawn up in 
rows, and enquiries were made of their health. Kemal 
Pasha, the Minister of Estates in Mortmain, was also 
present. This is a very imposing and ancient mosque, 
the whole of it built of stone. The area of the mosque 
is very extensive, the central part under the dome exceed- 
ingly spacious and lofty. The height of the dome from 
the floor may be about seventy ells (245 feet). Its 
building dates from one thousand three hundred and ten 
years ago (having been erected by the Emperor Justinian 
I. who died in a.d. 565). It had been an idol-temple at 
first, then became a Christian church, and after the 
taking of Constantinople by Sultan Muhammad the Con- 
queror, was converted into a mosque, as it now is. From 
the reason that it was not originally a mosque, the pray- 
ing-direction of its altar is slantwise. It has numerous 
pulpits, and in the days of Eamazan and the like, ser- 
mons and worship are conducted in several parts of it 
(simultaneously). There is a place constructed especially 
for the Sultan in the first gallery, so that whenever he 
may come (here), he perforins his devotions in that place 
and no one sees him. There are some sculptures and 
carvings in the stone capitals of the columns in the upper 
story ; and in the ceiling there are some mosaics of stone 
also. But, through the lapse of time and the great dura- 
tion of this mosque, it has fallen from its original splen- 
dour. One side of it is even somewhat cracked and sunk. 
It is like a venerable tree from which the freshness of 
youth has departed. 

Well ; we here performed our midday and afternoon 



384 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. vn. 

devotions (together) ; and then proceeded to the library, 
where there are about two thousand volumes of books, 
the whole in Arabic, on jurisprudence, theology, rhetoric 
of sense, rhetoric of expression, history, metaphysics, and 
the like, open to the use of every one who may come 
there, sit down, and study. 

We next went up to the gallery, the middle story of 
ihe mosque, around which are columns, and which looks 
down over the (floor of the) mosque ; whenever the con- 
gregation is very numerous, people sit here likewise. 
The way to it was long ; but there were few stairs to 
mount, as the path was a wide flagged corridor on an in- 
cline and in zigzag. We went about here a little, and 
then descended again. In this story it is plainly visible 
that one side of the building has given way. 

We now drove off to the residence of the Persian 
Minister, an edifice erected by our Grand-Vazir himself 
(when Minister Plenipotentiary). We reached the gate, 
where a crowd of Persians, Ottomans, and Franks had 
assembled. We entered and went up stairs by a marble 
staircase. It is a very grand building, furnished with 
curtains, chairs, sofas, chandeliers, and the like. We 
remained there a while, partook of some fruit and tea, 
returning home afterwards. 

For the evening there was an invitation to a state ban- 
quet at the palace of Beshik-Tash, to which I went in 
court costume. The whole of our princes and officers of 
-state, all the Corps Diplomatique and Ottoman Ministers 
were present. We entered the palace ; the Sultan came 
to the foot of the stairs ; we gave hands, went up, and 



chap, vi j.] Tier key. 385 

took seats at first in a private room, the Grand Vazir 
being also present. After a short interval dinner was 
announced. We then went into a hall where all the 
members of the Diplomatic Corps were standing in a row. 
The Sultan, with the interpretership of Eashid Pasha— 
the Minister of Foreign Affairs, addressed words of com- 
pliments and recognition first to the Eussian Ambassador, 
next to the English Ambassador, and so on to each one 
of the others. After him I too, with the interpretership 
of the Grand- Yazir, conversed likewise with the Eepre- 
sentatives ; only that I was not so much in need of an 
interpreter, as I spoke French myself. This (ceremony 
of) conversing with the Diplomatic body occupied half an 
hour ; after which we went down stairs to a large and 
very magnificent hall, where the dinner-table was spread. 
I and the Sultan were at the upper end of the table ; I 
to the right, the Sultan to the left. Considerably lower 
down, away from us, to the right was the Eussian Am- 
bassador, then the English, next the 'Izzu-'d-Dawla, the 
Husamu's-Saltana, Midhat Pasha, the Mu'tamadu-'l- 
Mulk, &c, to the end ; while on the left, far away from 
the Sultan, was first the Persian Grand-Vazir, then the 
Ottoman Grand- Vazir, next the I'tizadu-'s-Saltana, the 
Nusratu-'d-Dawla, the (Ottoman) Minister of War, &c, 
to the end. There was a very large and beautiful chan- 
delier suspended in the middle of the hall, lighted up 
with gas ; and there were other gas-lights in candelabra 
and in sconces on the walls. This hall, together with its 
furniture, is one of the constructions of the late Sultan 
('Abdu-'l-) Mejid Khan. Around it is a gallery, in which 

c c 



386 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. vn. 

was an orchestra playing airs ; but when they struck up 
their music, one's ears were filled, and nobody could 
converse. An excellent dinner was served. When this 
was over, I and the Sultan, with the two Grand-Vazirs, 
the Minister of War, the Kussian and the English Am- 
bassadors, again retired to a separate room, where coffee 
was handed round, and where much conversation took 
place. Then we rose and returned home. The night 
being dark, caution had to be used in conducting the 
boat across the Bosphorus. 

27 th (Friday, 22nd August). — Breakfasted at home 
to-day; after which the Spanish Charge d'Affaires at 
Constantinople, and a deputation of Armenians, were 
received in audience. After them came two individuals, 
magnates of the Jews, dressed in Frankish costume, who 
read a prolix address in French. Next we dressed in 
state costume, and 'Abdu-'l-'lah, the photographer, who 
takes good likenesses, and is by origin a Christian and 
a Frenchman, but who has assumed this name, took 
several negatives of us. After this we mounted our boat, 
went onboard the (Ottoman) ship of war the " 'Aziziyya," 
and inspected her above and below. This ship was 
built in London, and is a very fine vessel. The sailors 
and marines on board went through their exercise. 

Leaving her, we went by boat to the "Pertev-i-Piyala," 
and started for the (Princes') Islands. Salutes were 
fired from all the men-of-war. We reached the islands, 
which are five in number, two small, and three com- 
paratively large. They have many forest trees of oak, 
and verdant hills, with various shrubs and herbaceous 



chap, vil] Ttirkey. 387 

plants. European merchants and others have there 
"built pretty houses, and there is a Naval College — a fine 
building, where pupils study for the sea service. Oppo- 
site to the college a ship of war was anchored, in which 
they are taught afloat certain practical parts of their pro- 
fession. On each of the islands there are habitations 
and handsome houses. They have no soft water or 
fountains; but what they have is drawn from wells. 
Taking them all together, these islands contain about two 
thousand houses. 

On our return, we coasted along the shores of Asia 
and Scutari. The following are the few villages and in- 
habited sites we observed on the seashore or on the hill- 
sides : Yaqajiq, Qartal, Mal-Tepa, Fener-Bagchasi, and 
then Qadi-Kyiiyu, which joins on to Scutari, and is 
reckoned as one of the parishes thereof. In Yaqajiq 
and Qartal large quantities of grapes are produced, 
and these of excellent quality. We reached home by 
sunset. 

28th (Saturday, 23rd August). — In the morning after 
rising and dressing, the Sultan came. We went down- 
stairs, mounted on horseback together, went to the upper 
gate of the palace garden, and there, taking our seats in 
an open carriage, drove off, the sun being right in our 
faces, and scorchingly fierce. Our drive was to the vine- 
yard of the Sultana-Mother, there to take breakfast: It 
was a good distance off, at the termination of the in- 
habited parts and parishes. Alighting there, we ascended 
the stairs of the pavilion, which is a pretty, though plain 
building, with richly furnished apartments. After a 

cc 2 



388 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap, til 

little preliminary waiting, we went to breakfast, then 
returned to the first room, and had a long desultory 
conversation on all manner of topics. We then rose, 
remounted our carriage, and drove back to the lower 
entrance gate of the palace of Beyler-Beyi, dismounted 
at the foot of the staircase, the Sultan accompanying us 
upstairs and taking a seat, when we resumed our conver- 
sation, the two Grand- Vazirs being also present. The 
Sultan evinced much kindness, then rose, and returned 
to his own palace, we escorting him to the foot of the 
staircase. 

Every day several large steamers, making five or six 
trips each between the morning and the evening, convey 
passengers, and ply to and from Biyuk-Dera, and other 
quarters of the capital. These ships belong for the 
most part to companies of foreign nationalities ; and by 
means of this conveyance of passengers to and from the 
different quarters, each ship earns about ten thousand 
turnans (4000L) yearly. Each time a ship takes in 
passengers, she becomes crammed with people. In one 
place they stretch a partition for the women to have tfreir 
seats, the rest of the ship being used by the men. 
These ships are a source of great danger in the Bos- 
phorus to persons who go about in boats. If a boat 
should come near a steamer, the force of the paddle 
wheels, causing the sea to rise in waves, wrecks the boat ; 
as was the case three days ago, when several women and 
men of quality were drowned in the Bosphorus, only one 
child and a few of the boatmen having been saved. It 
is, however, the custom of the boatmen of the Bosphorus 



<chap. vii. ] Turkey. 389 

that, whoever may be drowned, they tell no tales, and 
no one knows anything of what has happened. The 
<cause of this is said to be their fear lest people should 
iake alarm at going in boats, and their craft thus fall 
into desuetude. Every year numerous persons are 
drowned of nights or during rough weather on the Bos- 
phorus. But as the accident mentioned above took place 
in broad daylight, it was witnessed and reported. 

Last evening, as we were sitting at dinner, there came 
successively the reports of several guns being fired. I 
was astonished at this, and on looking out of the 
windows, saw that at various parts of the environs of the 
Bosphorus there were numerous flames of fire ; showing 
that a conflagration had broken out. There is a very high 
tower and signal in the city, where watchmen are stationed 
-every night ; and.whenever a fire happens in any quarter, 
it is an established rule that, in order to warn the public, 
seven guns shall be fired, so that they may go and help 
to extinguish it. In the morning we learnt that eight 
hundred houses had been burnt in the parish of Qasim- 
Pasha. Since the houses at Constantinople are for the 
most part of timber, it is very frequent that the wood- 
work takes fire. 

Well ; in the afternoon I mounted my boat and went 
to the seaside palace of Chiragan. There is a public 
street that separates the palace from its gardens; and 
over this street they have thrown a bridge. Whenever 
the Sultan, with his harem or others, wishes to go into 
the gardens, he passes by this bridge. We drove along 
the avenues in a carriage uphill. The garden is full of 



390 Diary of a Tour in Etirope. [chap, vie 

trees like a forest, running up the hill and down along a 
valley. Here and there, upon knolls and eminence s, 
there are pretty detached structures, not yet completed, 
as workmen were busy on them. The Sultan's wild 
animals are kept in this garden. We saw many peacocks. 
There were several cages with handsome tigers, and one 
of these was extremely savage, the like of him not having 
been seen by us in any of the zoological collections of 
Firangistan. He roared continuously/and came rushing 
at those who were looking at him. There was another 
curious tiger that I had not hitherto seen. He had 
many white spots upon his back and sides ; i.e., his bod}' 
was the same as that of any other tiger, and with the 
very same black stripes ; in which respect there was no 
difference. These white spots were in addition to them r 
and resembled the white spots on the young of the red 
deer. There were also some birds and parrots of beauti- 
fully-coloured plumage. 

From thence we drove in the carriage to another place, 
where were the cages of birds (an aviary). It was one 
long cage divided into compartments, in each of which 
were trees and a basin of water, most neat. There were 
many kinds of birds, especially some golden pheasants 
from the lands of Australia. There were about fifty or 
sixty of these in all the cages. In (the country of) the 
Franks I had seen but few of them. There were also 
various other kinds of pheasants, from India, China, and 
Africa. 

After a good stroll I came down the hill and went into 
the palace. Here, too, there were many dovecotes, as 



chap, vii.] Turkey. 391 

they have preserved the pigeons near to the garden of 
the Sultan's palace. Across the garden-bridge I went 
to the palace itself. The columns of this building, with 
the greater part of the walls, floors, and stairs are of 
marble — a kind of marble that is brought from quarries 
in the Sea of Marmara, whence this sea itself has 
received its name. The marble has two defects; one, 
in that it is much marked with dark streaks ; the other, 
that, however much they work it, it never becomes 
smooth and glossy. In reality, it is a kind of stone. 
The columns are monoliths, and the flags of the pave- 
ment are very large. There is a marble bath-room 
within the palace. These baths are not like those of 
Persia, outdoor buildings far away from the houses ; nor 
are they excavated. On the contrary, they are inside the 
house, and their floor is level with that of the other 
apartments ; so that they are quickly heated. It has 
small and large basins, into which, taps being opened, 
hot and cold water flows. Beneath the bath-room is a 
vacant place, and the furnace is lighted and fed from 
outside. As soon as the flags of the floor become warm, 
and the hot-water taps are opened, the bath-room gets 
heated. The sources from whence these taps derive 
their water are also outside the bath, where they heat 
the water. 

Although it was now late, and darkness was coming 
on, we went over the whole of the apartments of the 
Sultan, those of the Sultana-Mother, of the female 
establishment and garden special to this. It is a very 
sumptuous palace, fitted with rich furniture. According 



39 2 Diary of a Tour in Ettrope. [chap. yu. 

to what was asserted, much money has gradually been 
expended upon the edifice. It was originally founded 
by the Sultan Mahmud Khan ; but the present sovereign 
pulled that down, and has rebuilt it. Serkis Efendi, the 
Sultan's architect, a fine young man, who speaks French 
well, has built the whole of this palace, and was present 
with us. 

At sunset we remounted our boat and went home. In 
the evening they brought us a conjurer, who made his 
preparations in the hall, where we went after dinner and 
took our seat in a chair. The whole of our suite were 
present. Four days ago the Muhaqqiq had left for Persia 
with our photographs and despatches. 

Well ; the conjurer was an ungainly-looking man, who 
spoke in French, and performed some wonderful tricks. 
A few of the more surprising of them are the following : 

First of all he drew from his breast-pocket a thin 
stick without a hole in it, and held it in his hand. Out 
of this stick he produced a live canary bird, which he let 
go, and which went and perched at a distance. He then 
took a ruby ring from the finger of the I'tizadu-'s-Saltana, 
and placed it on a table. He now produced two large 
lemons, and laid them also on the table ; asking that one 
of them might be chosen, and this was done. Upon that, 
he cut the other lemon in two, to show there was nothing 
in them. He next took the ring and caused it to dis- 
appear within his hand ; after which he went and fetched 
back the canary-bird, a thing of the size of a sparrow ; he 
caressed it with his hands, and it disappeared also. Now 
he took the selected lemon, cut it in two with a pocket- 



chap. vii. 1 Turkey. 393 

knife, and from within it drew forth the canary with the 
prince's ring firmly bound to its foot by a delicate red 
silk ribbon. 

He took the pocket-handkerchief of the Grand- Vazlr 
and held it for the Sani'u-'d-Dawla to cut through with a 
pocket-knife. He then made it into a roll, rammed it into 
a pistol, and fired this off. Next he produced a wine- 
bottle, free from any defect, and placed it on the table. 
He took another pocket-handkerchief, and this also the 
Sanf u-'d-Dawla cut in twain and set fire to. The con- 
jurer rubbed it up in his hand and caused it to disappear. 
Next he took four cigar-cases that some of our officials 
had about them, placed them on the table, and requested 
that one of them might be chosen. The Grand- Vazir 
selected one and gave it into the hand of the Husamu-'s- 
Saltana. He (the conjurer) took an axe in his hand; 
Struck the bottle with this, and broke it ; out of it came a 
live dove, with the Grand-Vazir's pocket-handkerchief 
bound round his leg. It was the very same handkerchief; 
for the Grand-Vazir had himself marked it with his own 
name. To conclude he now drew forth safe and sound, 
from the cigar-case held by the Husamu-'s-Saltana, the 
other handkerchief that had been cut in two and burnt. 

He took three finger-rings from our people and gave 
them into the hand of one of our own officials. He 
brought out a wine-glass, into which he broke an egg, 
white and yolk together, casting the three rings into this. 
He now took the hat of Dr. (Sir Joseph) Dickson, and 
poured into it from the wine-glass the liquid contents of 
the egg, together with the rings ; after which, turning the 



394 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. th. 

hat upside down, the three rings fell out of it, each 
fastened to a nosegay ; the inside of the hat being in no 
wise wet or soiled by the egg. 

Again he took the ring of the prince I'tizadu-'s-Saltana 
and laid it on the table ; produced two water-melons and 
asked for one of them to be chosen, which was done. 
He took the ring in his hand and made it vanish ; then 
cut the melon in two and brought out an egg, sound and 
uncooked. This he broke and drew from it a walnut 
without a flaw, which he brought and placed on the floor 
in front of us. He gave a hammer to the Aminu-'s- 
Saltana, who with one blow completely cracked the 
walnut, and from it dropped the ring of the prince. 

Many other curious tricks did he also perform. 

29th (Sunday, 24th August.) — Breakfasted at home to- 
day. Kyamil Pasha, President of the Privy Council, 
a most charming and noble man, came to an audience. 
He had not come during the last several days, having 
been suffering from illness. He is a son-in-law of the 
celebrated Muhammad- 'Ali Pasha of Egypt, and is an old 
man of very great wealth. When he left, Eashid Pasha, 
the Minister of Foreign Affairs, came to return thanks for 
an Order we had conferred on him. With him, too we 
had some conversation. 

At two hours to sunset we went by boat on board the 
" Pertev-i-Piyala," and proceeded to the waterside resi- 
dence of the Ottoman Grand-Vazlr, sat there awhile, and 
partook of coffee. He has a delightful house. It is a 
considerable distance from Beyler-Beyi to this resi- 
dence of the Grand-Vazlr, which is on the left hand side 



chap, vii.] Tttrkey. 395, 

(of the Bosphorus), on the European shore, in the village 
of Yeni-Kyuy (New Village,) from whence there is a road 
to Tarapiya, and from thence to Biyuk-Dera. Returning 
from thence, we reached home, and landed there at 
sunset. 

Monday, 1st of Rajah the Respected (25£/t August). — 
Our departure from Islambul took place, for Poti, by way 
of the Black Sea. In the morning we arose and break- 
fasted at home. At four o'clock in the day (eight hours 
to sunset) we have to go to the Sultan's palace to say 
adieu, when, exactly as on the day of our arrival, will 
ceremonial honours be carried out. 

We came down stairs and mounted our boat, our Grand- 
Vazir, Mirza Malkam Khan, and 'All Bey, being with us- 
We pushed oif and reached the palace of Dolma-Bagcha. 
The Ottoman Grand- Vazir, with the whole of the Ministry 
were at the landing-place, and the Sultan had come to the 
foot of the staircase. We gave hands and went upstairs, 
took our seats in a stated room, the two Grand-Vazirs 
being present, and a long conversation ensued. We rose 
and returned home, when the English Ambassador came 
to an audience, and with him, too, somewhat of a conver- 
sation ensued. 

About an hour afterwards the Sultan came. I went 
to the foot of the staircase ; we gave hands, came up- 
stairs to a room, sat down a while, and again conversed ; 
then we rose, went down to a special boat, in which the 
seats occupied by us, the Sultan, and others, were canopied 
over ; here we took our places and pulled off to the "Sul- 
taniyya," the ship in which we had come from Brindisi, 



396 Diary of a Toitr in Europe, [chap. vii. 

and which, in justice, was an extraordinarily fine vessel. 
Our suite had come on board in the morning or yesterday, 
with the baggage, and were present. We now again took 
seats in chairs, with the Sultan and the two Grand- Vazirs, 
for a few minutes; after which the Sultan rose, and 
I accompanied him to the ship's ladder. Salutes were 
fired from the other ships. We had to wait about half- 
an-hour while the anchor was being got up and other 
matters seen to. At length, at two hours and a half 
to sunset, we bid adieu to Islambiil, and commenced our 
voyage. The ship progressed slowly up the Bosphorus. 
Opposite to Biyiik-Dera and Tarapiya, where are the 
summer-residences of the Diplomatic Corps, the ships in 
attendance on the Embassies, that had come to see us off, 
made their appearance. The ships of the English and 
Russian Ambassadors were very large and handsome 
vessels, each having a numerous crew, who went up on to 
the yards and shouted hurrahs. The ship of the French 
Representative and those of the others did the same. Our 
ship stopped ; the Russian Ambassador came in a boat, 
mounted on deck, was received in audience, and much con- 
versation followed ; after which he left. Mirza Malkam 
Khan, our Minister resident in London, with Hajji 
Muhsin Khan — our Minister resident in Constantinople, 
and Nariman Khan — who is^ returning to Paris, left in 
company with the Russian Ambassador for the city. 
Tamsun Sahib (Mr. R. Thomson) — the English Charge 
d' Affaires, who had been with us everywhere throughout 
this tour, remained behind in Constantinople to go to 
England, from whence he will return. 



chap, vii.] Turkey. 397 

We now steamed on, and quitted the Bospliorus. At 
the extremity of the channel, both sides of which are 
mountainous, there are constructed on the brink of the sea 
some strong forts and batteries, all with guns. These fired 
salutes. The ship " Tali 'a," that had accompanied us from 
Brindisi, not having given satisfaction, had been replaced 
by another named the " 'Asir " (Difficult — Impregnable), 
which was a ship of war. They said she was a comfort- 
able vessel, and the greater part of our servants are in her, 
as follows : the Ilkhani ; General Hasan- 'ALL Khan ; the 
Minister of Public Works ; the Mukhbiru-'d-Dawla ; the 
Nasru-T-Mulk ; the Shuja/u-'s-Saltana; the Ihtishamu-'d- 
Dawla ; M. Eichard ; Satur Khan ; Lt. Ibrahim Khan ; 
and also our horses. But as she is a ship of war, she is 
not a speedy vessel, and by degrees lagged behind, so as 
ultimately to be lost to sight. As they said, she will, God 
willing, reach Poti the day after us. 

During the night we slept tranquilly. We saw the 
new moon of the month of Kajab the Eespected (as it were 
sinking) into the sea, as we contemplated some hand- 
writing of the Commander of the Faithful, 'All son of 
Abu-Talib, upon whom be the blessings and benedictions 
of God. This evening, Eshref Pasha, the Ottoman 
official in attendance upon us, fell down twenty steps of a 
ladder in this ship, poor fellow, and broke his head and 
arm. Dr. Tholozan and others treated him. To-day 
Tholozan brought Marco Pasha to an audience, who is- 
the Sultan's Chief Physician ; and with him I had a good 
deal of conversation. He is a man forty-five years of 
age, thin, sallow, who shaves his beard and wears 



39 8 Diary of a Tour in Etirope. [chap, til 

mustachios. He speaks French well ; they say that, by 
origin, he is a Greek. For a long time he has been the 
Sultan's Physician. 

Tuesday, 2nd Eajab (26th August). — When I arose in 
the morning from sleep, the weather, through the mercy 
•of the Lord Most High, was like paradise, and the sea 
as smooth as a looking-glass. To our left all is water as 
far as Sebastopol, and to our right is the land of the 
Ottoman Anadoli (Asia Minor, fj avaroXr], the region of 
sunrise). Everywhere we went close along the shore, 
and high mountains were visible on all parts, the whole 
of them clothed in dense forests and larch trees. On 
the slopes of the hills every here and there cultivation 
and villages were noticed ; and there are some very beau- 
tiful mountains with charming valleys. 

In the afternoon we gradually increased our distance 
from the land, and at night, three hours after sunset, we 
were abreast of the harbour of Sinope, from whence on- 
wards, until we reached Poti, the land was no more 
visible. Sinope has acquired a (terrible) celebrity since 
the time of the war of Sebastopol, when the Russians 
>(there) set fire to the Ottoman squadron of ships. When 
we had reached the offing of Sinope, a breeze sprang up 
from the direction of the Crimea, striking the ship 
abeam. It was light and gentle, but caused the ship to 
roll violently. To-day, from morn until noon, while the 
sea was calm, large fishes (porpoises), of the size of 
horses, came up out of the sea, and sported about on the 
surface of the waters. 

Wednesday, 3rd (27th August). — Last night, praise be 



chap, vii.] Turkey. 399 

to God, the weather was very fine and the sea still. No 
shore in sight. In the morning we arose, performed our 
devotions, read the Scripture, and again lay down. 
Three hours later, on getting up, thank God, the sea 
was calm. 

While at Constantinople a courier came in from 
Tehran, and brought dispatches from our Ministers, with 
detailed news from the province of Sistan. Praise be to 
God, every part of Persia has been in the perfection of 
security and tranquillity. 

This sea, which has received the name of Black Sea, 
really merits it ; the name and the named fit each other. 
In one's eyes it is much blacker than other seas. Yes- 
terday, from some not distant shore, a few small and 
pretty birds flew off to the ship, and there perched, 
remaining hungry and without food. The shore has 
become distant, and they cannot fly to it. At times they 
«ssay to do it ; and although no land is visible, still, with 
the instinct given them by God, they fly off towards our 
right hand, where are the shores of Anadoli, and which 
is the nearest to land ; but they come back again. One 
of them was caught and put in a cage. It drank some 
water, but died in a minute or two. 

To-day, at an hour to sunset, we again approached the 
shore, so that the town and seaport of Trebizond became 
visible. I saw the town and its houses through a tele- 
scope. It is a pretty town on the skirts of a mountain, 
and in a valley. Again we left the shore at a distance. 
At night, about dinner-time, thunder and lightning began 
to be perceived towards the west, and the sky darkened 



400 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap, til 

over, though there was no wind. Through this western 
darkness, thunder, and lightning, which gave a bad pre- 
sentiment respecting the weather, the sea became con- 
vulsed. We dined, went on deck, and walked up and 
down awhile. All around, the sky was cjoudy and dark; 
and in every direction vivid lightnings played, while the 
mutters of thunder came rumbling on. The mid-heaven 
was clear, and only a breath of air was stirring ; so I 
again lay down. Violent lightning and thunder con- 
tinued until morning in a terrific manner, while gradually 
the clouds overspread all, and gave every appearance of 
rain being at hand. 

1 The hill of Chamlija (p. 381), so called from a few pine-trees (cham) 
that crown its summit, is erroneously called Mount Boulgourlou on the 
maps and by European strangers. Bulgurlu (Furmity or Frumenty 
tillage) is the name of a village in the valley west of Chamlija ; and at its 
hack, still further west and a little more inland southerly, is the real 
Bulgurlu-Dagi (Mount Bulgurlu), entirely uninhabited and treeless ; 
whereas Chamlija teems with vineyards and summer residences almost to 
its summit, having the city of Iskyudar, with its suburbs, on its skirts and 
at its foot, along the shore of the Bosphorus.— J. W. K. 



^fi^fe^^ 




CHAPTER VIII. 

GEORGIA, RETURN; 11 DAYS. 

HURSDAY, 4*7* (28th August).— To-day we 
are to reach the anchorage of the port of 
Poti. During the night, by reason of the 
commotion of the sea in all directions, sleep 
did not overcome me for more than an hour altogether. 
I rose early in the morning, performed my devotions, 
and read a portion of Scripture. The weather was very 
threatening, and heavy rain poured down. A thunder- 
bolt struck the sea not more than fifty feet from the ship, 
with a roar equal to that of a thousand cannons, scatter- 
ing the water on all sides. Had it struck the ship, it 
would have shivered it to fragments. The sky remained 
in the same tempestuous state. Again I lay down for an 
hour or two. From the motion of the ship it became 
evident that we were near shore ; and I arose. Praise 
be to God that we had escaped from the high sea, and had 
reached the coast; the shores of Poti were visible, all 
forest and mountain. The temperature and nature of the 
country were very much like those of the Gilans. 

As the ship in which we had travelled was very large, 
it could approach no nearer to the land, and therefore 
stopped. We saw a vessel in the distance coining towards 



4-02 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. vm. 

us on our beam, and she was made out to be the " 'Asir," 
our consort, of which it had been said that, since she 
was not a fast ship, she would not arrive until about ten 
hours after us. It became evident that in consequence 
of the bad state of the weather they had taken our vessel 
further out to sea, to avoid the neighbourhood of land, 
thus steering a different course to that which would have 
led more directly to our destined anchorage at Poti ; 
whereas that other vessel, having the wind astern, had 
made sail and had arrived at Poti considerably before us. 
Very thankful was I that she too had safely turned up, 
and not lagged behind. 

A small steamer came out from Poti to convey us 
ashore. Prince Menschikoff and Colonel Bazak, for- 
merly in attendance upon us, and who had first come to 
Enzeli (to meet us), were on board of her. I was ex- 
ceedingly pleased to see the Prince again. But, as the 
sea was still very rough, all their efforts to bring his 
vessel alongside the " Sultaniyya " were fruitless, — they 
could not effect it. Several times they brought her near; 
but the two ships were dashed together, aDd the bows 
and stem of the Prince's steamer were slightly injured. 
Again they tried to get her alongside, and now she 
damaged the " Sultaniyya' s " ladder. At length they 
resolved to exercise a little patience, and the sea calmed 
down somewhat. Then they fastened the two ships 
together, and transferred a few of our private effects and 
some of our princes and officers to the Prince's vessel ; 
and to her we went also. I then saw Eshref Pasha, the 
(Ottoman) official in attendance on us, with his head 



chap, viii.] Georgia, Return. 403 

broken and his right arm in a sling bound up to his neck, 
his face being all black and blue, in a state of suffering. 
This caused me great sorrow. They had passed a nar- 
row plank from one ship to the other, which was very 
dangerous, and over this we passed to the Prince's 
steamer. The Sani'u-'d-Dawla, remained behind in the 
" Sultaniyya," to see after the rest of the baggage; and 
several others remained there also with him. 

In half an hour we arrived at the mouth of the river of 
Poti, which flows into the sea, and is named the Eion. 
It is a large river, but vessels cannot go up it more than 
the distance of half a league. There are some few habi- 
tations on both banks of the stream — houses like those of 
the peasantry of Mazandaran and Gilan. The soil is 
wet, and the climate bad, fever and agues abounding 
there. But by degrees they are beginning to improve 
the place. This seaport town of Poti has no good 
anchorage either. Large ships cannot by any means 
enter the river, neither can they approach the shore. 
They are therefore constrained to keep at a distance 
from the town, and to load and unload goods and passen- 
gers by means of small shore craft. We noticed one 
large English steamer, and two Ottoman sailing vessels 
in the roadstead. The plain is all forest, and extends as 
far as the mountains, which are also one dense forest. 

Many flags were hoisted on both banks of the river, 
and a small room had been prepared to receive us when 
we should land from the vessel. The Grand-Duke 
Michael, brother of the Emperor, Viceroy and Governor- 
General of the Caucasian Provinces, was at the landing- 

dd2 



404 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap, vm, 

place with his officials and generals, waiting to receive 
us. We disembarked and gave our hand to the Prince, 
We then went and inspected a battalion of infantry that 
was drawn up between the landing-place and the railway 
terminus. There was a multitude collected of various 
tribes and nationalities : Circassians, Lesghians, Ar- 
menians, Georgians, Dagistani Muslims, Open-Heads 
(Mingrelians ; who go bare-headed like the Blue-Coat 
boys of London), Franks, and others. This region is 
part of the country of the Open-Heads (Mingrelia), i.e., 
of the Bare-Heads, and in reality they are so. The 
whole of the inhabitants of the Open-Head country go 
bare-headed. Never do the women, men, or children 
adopt the practice of wearing hats or caps on their heads. 
The chief-town of the Open-Heads is Kutais, situated 
between Tiflis and Poti. 

Well ; we exchanged many salutations and conversed 
much with the Prince, who, in justice be it said, is a very 
agreeable prince. During the time of my visit to (St.) 
Petersburg, the Prince was not there, and I was therefore 
very glad to see him. Of all the Emperor's brothers he 
is the youngest. He wears his beard (whiskers) on either 
side of his cheeks, but shaves his chin. His eyes are 
blue, and betoken good-nature. He is tall of stature and 
strong of frame. 

In half an hour's time we took our seats in the train 
and started, leaving behind us the Hakimu-'l-Mamalik to 
bring on the luggage by railway. The interpreter of the 
Viceroy, Begliaroff, a son of Shah-Mir Khan the Persian, 
spoke French very well. The cars of the train all com- 



chap, viil] Georgia, Return. 405 

ruunicated with one another. This line of railroad has 
been recently constructed, and consists of a single line of 
rails all the way to Tiflis, the whole of the traffic having 
to go over that one line. Much difficulty was experienced 
in its construction, the whole of the lands being forest, 
marsh, and inundation. To drain such a country and 
lay down a railway is a very onerous task. Once past 
the marshes all is mountain and valley, so that the line 
is very tortuous and on an assent, passing over a river 
and bridges, until it begins to descend again towards 
Tiflis. From these causes the train could not travel with 
the rapidity usual in Firangistan ; but went at about two 
and a half leagues per hour, not more. 

Well ; it wanted five hours and a half to sunset when 
we started, the sky being entirely overcast, and heavy 
rain falling without an interval ; the road, too, was forest 
and mountain. By sunset we arrived at a station in the 
neighbourhood of Kutais, where they had prepared food 
(for us). The train stopped; we alighted and went into 
a room where the table was laid. A light dinner was 
X^artaken of. A company of infantry was also drawn out, 
of the Open-Head people of Georgia, who were dressed 
in a peculiar manner, after the fashion of the costume of 
the ancient troops (of the country), with open-breasted 
red coats, a red cloth round their heads by way of 
turban, a pistol and a large knife in their sashes. Their 
uniform thus resembled those of the Zouaves in France 
and of the tribes of Hindustan ; but their muskets were 
needle-guns made in the factory of Tula. 

We again mounted- and went on. I had a restless 



406 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. vim. 

night of broken sleep. We arrived very early in the 
morning (of Friday, 29th August) in the neighbourhood 
of Tiflis, when I arose very much worn out, and dressed. 
The train stopped, and we alighted. The Yiceroy was 
waiting with a large staff of officers and a battalion of 
infantry. We mounted an open carriage with the 
Viceroy. The air was very cold ; and by reason of the 
rain which had fallen, a piercingly cold wind was blowing, 
which raised up the dust and earth. The lamps were 
still burning in the streets. We arrived at the gate of 
the Viceroy's palace, where a battalion of infantry and 
numbers of military officers and civilians were drawn up 
in attendance. To each of these we addressed a word of 
inquiry after his health. The Governor of the City of 
Tiflis, together with the mayor and aldermen, came and 
brought the usual bread and salt. They had prepared a 
lengthy address, written out in Persian ; and we stood 
while an individual, learned in Persian, read it out with 
perfect propriety of utterance. 

We now went up- stairs, where, in one room, Prince 
Orbelianoff, a Georgian prince, and Baron Nicholas, the 
Administrator of Foreign Affairs in the Caucasian Pro- 
vinces, were waiting ; whom the Viceroy presented. I 
knew the Prince Orbelianoff seven years ago ; as, on the 
occasion of our visiting the seaport of Farah-abad in 
Mazandaran, he had come there on the part of the 
Emperor with several Russian ships of war. 

Next, the Viceroy showed us our rooms and apart- 
ments, there leaving us. We breakfasted, and then lay 
down to rest. 



chap, viii.] Georgia, Return. 407 

The town of Tiflis is in a valley and is surrounded by 
mountains, with some of its houses on the flanks and 
summit of a hill. The river Kur (the ancient Cyrus) 
flows through the town, but its water was not very 
abundant at that season. A bridge has been built across 
it. To the north of the stream is the new town and the 
Frank quarters, wherein also are the palaces of the 
Viceroy and of the Governor. On the south side is the 
old town of Tiflis, and, on the summit of a hill, the ruins 
of the ancient fortress of the Sovereigns of Georgia. 
Fifty years ago, this town was veiy wretched and filthy ; 
now, by degrees, private houses and public buildings, 
schools and colleges, broad streets paved with stone, are 
being constructed. The peak of Mount Qaf (Caucasus), 
which the Franks name Kazbek, is visible. This is a 
very lofty mountain, covered with snow. The Russians 
have made a road for carriages, so that now they cross 
the mountains to the other side in coaches, the town of 
Vladi-Kaukas being there, and the land route to Moscow 
and Hajji-Tarkhan. Immediately around Tiflis the 
mountains are bare, but further awa}^ from the town they 
are wooded. The air of the place is not healthy, being 
very hot and variable in the summer and autumn. When 
rain falls in the neighbourhood, or in the town, it becomes 
exceedingly chill, and then returns to a sultry heat again. 
Its climate is therefore a source of fevers and agues. 
The population of the town is fifty thousand ; for the 
most part foreigners and strangers, a mixture of all 
nationalities — Persians, Georgians, Russians, Dagis- 
tanis, Circassians, Germans, Armenians. It has ex- 



408 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. tih. 

cellent fruits ; such as water-melons, grapes, pears, 
cucumbers. 

To-day we went to see the Viceroy, who lives in this 
same palace, where are our quarters. We passed through 
several rooms, and reached a hall built by Persian work- 
men, and adorned with embellishments in plaster and 
looking-glass work. This part of the palace was very 
beautiful, and the furniture of the rooms was all of 
Persian stuffs — large and small carpets, of Farahan 
(Furrah of the maps), of Qa'in (Ghayn of the maps), and 
of Kirman ; tables and couches, &c, of inlaid work of 
Shiraz and Isfahan ; curtains of carpets to the rooms ; 
while Kasht patchwork in flowers of broadcloth was used 
for the covers of the seats, backs, and cushions of the 
couches, chairs, &c, and as covers for the tables. This 
furniture and these works of Persian art were not placed 
there for the reason that we had come to the palace ; 
but were there before. There was a large black bear, 
formerly killed in the chase by the Viceroy himself, set 
up like life in a corner of one of the rooms ; so that 
should one see it suddenly unawares, he might take it for 
a living bear. 

The Viceroy has also made a very varied collection, 
hung up on the walls of the rooms, of weapons, such as 
sabres, swords, muskets, and pistols ; also of ancient 
arms and armour, such as shirts of mail, helmets, 
saddles, barbs, stirrups, horse-trappings, jewelled and 
gilt ; besides many other objects of interest, even to an 
ancient tallow -burning lamp, — which formerly was in 
use in Persia, being found in a niche of one room. We 



chap, viil] Georgia, Return. 409 

took a survey of all the rooms ; from the windows of one 
was an excellent outlook over the town of Tinis and its 
streets. 

We sat there a while, and then proceeded to the apart- 
ment of the Viceroy's wife, adjacent thereto ; and there 
also tarried a small space. The Viceroy's wife is a sister 
of the Grand-Duke of Baden, and with her brother I had 
breakfasted in the city of Carlsruhe in Germany. She 
has five sons and one daughter by the Viceroy, her eldest 
son being fourteen years of age. Her children were away 
at a summer-residence. The name of the Viceroy's wife 
is Olga Feodorowna. 

Rising, we returned from thence to our own room, and 
without any interval the Viceroy's wife, with the Viceroy, 
came to return the visit. 

In the evening we went in a carriage with the Viceroy 
to the summer theatre, a very small building, all white, 
with one brass chandelier lighted with gas. The theatre 
was filled with Russian officers and others. At the 
utmost it will hold about two hundred persons. The 
music was good. The curtain was raised, and a few acts 
performed ; the dialogue being in Russian. They sang 
nicely ; they represented with much spirit some interest- 
ing plots, with dancing, that called forth much laughter. 
The women and young Russian men were good-looking 
and graceful. There was one French dancer, very 
graceful, who danced well, and had been at Tiflis two 
years. To conclude, they performed a Russian national 
dance, followed by a Georgian dance which was very 
pretty. A number of Georgians were drawn up on each 



410 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap, vm 

side, who clapped hands, while one played the Persian 
tomtom, and two others hlew the Persian horn, very 
melodiously. One girl and one boy danced, much after 
the manner of Persian dancing. 

Between the acts, while the curtain was lowered, we 
went down into a small garden where an illumination had 
been got up. We sat awhile in a tent pitched on a raised 
platform, and there the Viceroy presented to us some 
Georgian women and others. We returned home and 
dined. 

Meanwhile, our private secretary, the Hakimu-'l- 
Mamalik, and the Sani'u-'d-Dawla, who had remained 
behind (at Poti), had come up to Tiflis, bringing the 
luggage. But they gave a tremendous account of the 
sea storm. The secretary and the Sani', who had re- 
mained on board the "Sultaniyya" after we left her r 
said that immediately after we had got out of that ship 
and gone to Poti, the sea had become convulsed in such 
a manner that, however much endeavour had been used 
to put the little Russian steamer alongside the " Sulta- 
niyya," it had been impossible, through the violence of 
the waves. At length, the two ships came into collision, 
breaking the paddle-wheel of each of them. At length,, 
after a thousand toils, they had managed to get the two> 
ships close together ; and, whenever the waves lifted the 
little one up, they tossed a bale of luggage from the 
other into her, or else one person threw himself on 
board of her ; and so, with a thousand perils to life r 
they had got the luggage and men on shore. The 
secretary further added that, although the shore was 



chap, viii.] Georgia, Return. 41 r 



near, the waves so tossed them up in the air, and then 
precipitated them down again, that it was like one's 
falling down from a mountain peak. Praise be to God 
that this commotion did not happen a few hours earlier, 
while we were on the sea. 

It had been at first arranged that we should go by way 
of the mountain Qaf and (the village of) Kazbek to 
the seaport of Petrowski, en route for Enzeli; and 
orders had been sent to this effect along that road, 
where carts and carriages, &c, had all been got ready. 
But, as it would be all the more advantageous, by how- 
muchsoever we should shorten the sea voyage, I formed 
the desire to embark on board ship at Bad-Kuba (Baku). 
It was therefore settled that we should go to Bad-Kuba 
with ten of our people, and all the others to Petrowski, 
there to embark, come round to Bad-Kuba, take us on 
board, and then all go on together to Enzeli. We com- 
missioned the Sani'u-'d-Dawla to remain at Tiflis and 
bring on to Enzeli all the baggage that could not be 
sent by courier, and all the rest of our party. We thus 
spent Friday at Tiflis in the way described. 

Saturday, 6th (30th August). — This day Bahman 
Mirza (a fugitive uncle of the Shah), who had come over 
from Qara-Bag, was received in audience. He has six 
or seven grown-up sons also, who were all admitted to 
the audience. 

In the afternoon we took a seat in a carriage with the 
Viceroy, and drove a little about the city. The weather 
was sultry, and there was much dust. We went to the 
outskirts of the town, to a park called Bagi-Mujtahid, 



4 1 2 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap, vm" 

laid out by Aqa Mir Fattah. The greater part of the 
inhabitants of Tiflis are in the regular army or in the 
enrolled Cossacks. 

In the evening we were the guest of the Viceroy to 
dinner. We first went to a hall where a great number 
of officials, military and civil, with others, were stand- 
ing. The Viceroy presented them all. Bahman Mirza 
was also present. We then proceeded to another hall 
and sat down to table. The Viceroy sat on our left, his 
wife on our right ; the others taking each the place 
assigned to him according to his rank. 

Dinner over, we rose and went to a balcony of the 
room, like a terrace, and looking on to the palace garden. 
There was a very nice illumination arranged in the 
garden, together with a magnificent display of fireworks 
on the hill fronting the palace. In the garden there was 
a great multitude assembled of the notables and common 
people, of women and beautiful girls, Georgians and 
Franks. After the fireworks and a Cossack dance, which 
was performed with great spirit, and during which they 
fired off their pistols, we went down into the garden and 
walked about, having the Viceroy's wife on our arm. We 
walked through the whole of the avenues. Everywhere 
they had made (transparencies of) the device of the Lion 
and Sun, illuminated from behind. A telegram had 
come from the Emperor, and the Viceroy handed it to 
us. We read it. It was an enquiry after our health. 
We now returned upstairs, sat a while, and then retired 
to our own apartment. 

This day a priest came from the Great Vice -Patriarch 



chap, viii.] Georgia, Return. 413 

of Uch-Kilisa (Etchmiazin), near Irwan (Erivan), bring- 
ing a memorial. A telegram also came from Tehran to 
the effect that Hajji Sayyid Asadu-'l-'lal^of Isfahan, 
the authoritative legist, who had gone on a pilgrimage 
to the holy shrines (in Babylonia), had died at Kirind. 
This caused me great grief. 

Sunday, 1th (31st August). — Having to leave Tiflis for 
Bad-Kuba, we rose early in the morning and breakfasted. 
The Mu'tamadu-'l-Mulk, with the princes, also started 
this day for Petrowski. At six hours to sunset we began 
our journey, the Viceroy and all the officials of the 
Caucasus being present. Five carriages had been made 
ready, each harnessed with many horses. We mounted 
and drove through the old town of Tiflis, where crowds 
were assembled. We quitted the town and broke into a 
courier's pace. All along, the river Kur was on our left; 
but by degrees we increased our distance from it. The 
banks of the stream are lined with willows and a few 
forest trees, creating a little verdure. The weather was 
very sultry, with dust beyond conception. Once outside 
of Tiflis, there was not a single trace of the works of 
man on either side of our road ; as far as the eye could 
penetrate, all was a melancholy plain or brown moun- 
tains ; only that at each interval of two leagues a post- 
house has been erected, where they change horses. For 
about six leagues from Tiflis they have made a road, and 
sprinkled gravel, so that the dust was not so bad. But, 
where this (made) road came to an end, the dust was 
very great. 

We stopped and changed horses at several of the: 



414 Diary of a Tour in Etirope. [chap. vm. 

posthouses. At each of these stations there were 
some Cossack and Muslim cavalry, who relieved our 
escort also. At the station of Al-Git, — which, being 
Turki, means : Take it and depart, — they had prepared 
breakfast. It wanted then but one hour to sunset. 
Afterwards, we again mounted our carriages and drove 
on, as it was moonlight. Before reaching the posthouse 
of Al-Git we passed a river (Monteith's Algeth), which 
had a bridge over it, and which joins the Kur. Three 
hours after sunset we arrived at the river Agistafa 
(Akistafa, Monteith), which is a large stream, but at this 
season has not much water. The posthouse, here, too, 
is named after the river ; and there was on the far side 
of the stream another station where we were to rest for 
the night, and which had two or three rooms. We 
dined. It was sultry. They informed us that Hajji 
Mirza 'All, the Mishkatu-'l-Mulk (the Lighted Wick of 
the Kingdom), had arrived. I marvelled exceedingly. 
The Hajji had come from Tabriz by wa} r of Irwan, 
and had arrived here two days before. We had 
a little conversation as to news from Tehran, and 
the like ; after which he left, and was to start early for 
Tiflis. 

Monday, Sth {1st September). — We have to reach the 
town of Ganja (the Eussian Elisabetpol ; the birthplace 
of the Persian poet Nizami). We rose early and com- 
menced our journey through a disagreeable, sultry, 
dusty wilderness. These regions are the abode of the 
Tatar Cossacks, who are all Muslims, and number about 
four or five thousand families ; but of their habitations 



chap, viii.] Georgia, Return. 415 

no traces were seen hereabouts. To our right and not 
far off, there was a chain of hills, on the other side of 
which is the way to the lake Gokcha of Irwan. To our 
left was another chain of hills, dust-coloured and bare, 
visible in the distance. We arrived at the posthouse of 
Hasan-Sii. On the other side of this place are the terri- 
tories and lands of the tribe of Shamsuddinlu, also of 
iive or six thousand families. Hasan- Su (Hasan Kiver) 
is a stream, but had very little water indeed. A little 
further we came to the posthouse of Tawus-Chay (Pea- 
cock River), the stream of which had also but little 
water. Thence reached the posthouse of Zakam, where 
we breakfasted. At each of these posthouses there was 
a large congregation of horsemen and pedestrians, inha- 
bitants of those parts, who all, even to the little children, 
carry arms. They are all Muslims. 

After breakfast we pushed on to the posthouse of 
Shamkur, where the tribe of Shamsuddinlu ends, and 
the jurisdiction of Ganja commences. On the summit 
of a little hill we noticed the remains of an old brick 
fort of great strength. A stream passes at its foot, but 
it had little water, though there were the ruins of a 
brick bridge across it, one half alone being still erect. 
These plains are, in the same manner as before men- 
tioned, parched and little inhabited. We now reached 
the post-station of Qara-Baraz ; and pushing on from 
thence we reached the town of Ganja at two hours to 
sunset. The Governor of the districts of Ganja had 
come to Zakam with some horsemen ; and the Governor 
of the town also, with some other horsemen and 



4i 6 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. vm. 



notables, came out half a league from the place (to 
meet us). 

Gardens surround the town of G-anja; but within it the 
houses are poor and miserable. The old castle of Ganja, 
which was a strong brick fort, is now in ruins, and only 
a part remains. It had a good ditch and glacis, and is 
now used as a prison. A stream runs through the town, 
but it was nearly dry ; a bridge has recently been built 
over it. The farther side of the stream is the quarter of 
the Franks and Armenians, while on this side live the 
Muslims. The Governor's house is in the Frank 
quarter, and in it we had our apartments. It is a very 
wretched tenement on the top of a hill, at the foot of 
which it had a small garden. According to what we 
could judge, the population cannot be above seven to 
eight thousand. 

Tuesday, 9th (2nd September). — We have to go to 
Turyan-Chay, a place in (the district of) Shaki. In the 
morning we mounted (our carriage), passed through the 
town and (surrounding) gardens of Ganja, into the open 
country. The same line of hills as yesterday was seen 
again to-day on our right for the first three leagues; 
after which, it gradually became more distant. At about 
half a league from the town, or rather more, is the tomb 
of Shaykh Nizami (the poet) by the side of the road — a 
very wretched brick building ; and beyond that we 
reached Kurak-Chay (Shovel-River) ; which is the name 
of a stream. On our left also runs at a distance that 
same range of brown bare waterless mountains, which 
stretches away to Shaki. 



chap. viii. Georgia, Return. 41 7 

Well; the weather was excessively sultry, the soil 
parched and disagreeable ; and so we arrived at the post- 
house of Qarqali-Chay (Kiver of many crows or rooks, 
Kooky River), passing on from thence to the station of 
Mangi-Chawur (Advanced- Outwork) on the bank of the 
river Kur, where they had erected a felt tent for us, 
closed on all sides, and hot as a bathroom. For the 
Grand- Vazir and the others they had built a hut of the 
branches of trees, nice and airy, but many people were 
there. 

The princes and others had remained a long way 
behind with the baggage-cart containing our jewels, 
which had broken down ; and before they could get 
another to use in its stead, they were left far in the 
rear. Previously to their arrival, we took our break- 
fast off a very large fish caught in the river with a 
net. The lessee of this river was a young Ar- 
menian, who was there present. The farm of the 
fishery at this place is a branch of that of the fisheries of 
Salyan. 

Here the river Kur is of great width, but with a slug- 
gish stream, and a depth of not more than an ell (42 
inches). They had lashed two barges together, had 
made a platform upon them floored with planks, and had 
stretched a stout rope across (the stream) from bank to 
bank. Within the vessels were a few articles of gearing 
bound upon a large mast. They pulled at the rope, and 
the craft moved, carrying goods and passengers over to 
the other side. In the first place they so transported 
our carriages, then I went across, and lastly the Grand- 



41 8 Diary of a Tour in Etiropc. [chap. vm. 

Vazir and others came over with the luggage : after 
which we again resumed our joumej'. 

As far as this station of Mangi-Chawur the jurisdiction 
of Ganja extends, while this side the river helongs to the 
district of Shaki. The range of hills to our left con- 
tinued still of the same aspect, hut we were now approach- 
ing nearer to them-. Behind those brown hills are the 
mountains of Dagistan ; and the town of Shaki (Nukhi of 
the Monteith map) is at the foot of the hills. On the sum- 
mit of the mountains of Shaki there was much snow. 
From where we now were to the town of Shaki, to which 
the Russians have given the name of Nukha, is a dis- 
tance of about five or six leagues. In some parts of the 
plain are woods, in some parts thorny bushes, and in 
others tamarisk shrubs, while some parts are bare. As 
we were going along at post speed, I fired my gun from 
within the carriage, and shot several birds, flying in the 
ah', of the kind called in Persian Sabza-qaba (Green- 
Coats). 

We now arrived at the post-station of Chomaqlu 
(Tchemakly of Monteith — Club- Village), in the district of 
Shaki, where I performed my devotions and partook of 
an afternoon meal. Again pushing on, we reached the 
posthouse of 'Arab, still in the district of Shaki, and, at 
two hours after sunset, arrived at Turyan-Chay (Turgan- 
chaisk of Monteith — probably, Turgan-Chay — Stagnant- 
River), a large and beautiful river that comes down from 
the mountains of Dagistan and Shaki. In these plains 
cultivation is carried on. From Tiflls, until reaching 
this spot, we had seen no other trace of human habi- 



chap, yiil] Georgia, Return. 419 

tations than the posthouses ; the names of all other 
places being merely official, and neither honse nor village 
is visible. The posthonse here was very hot and full of 
musquitoes ; so that I was forced to have a felt tent 
pitched, and to sleep out of doors. Some of the Beg- 
zaclas (sons of Begs — sons of chieftains, lords, lairds, or 
gentlemen, of Turk! tribes) and grandees of Shald had 
come (here to greet us and pay their respects). 

Wednesday, 10th (3rd Sejrtember). — We rose early in 
the morning. The magnates of Ganja and Shald re- 
ceived their conge, and departed. We then resumed our 
journey, having a plain on our right hand, within which are 
the territories of Aq-Dash (White-Bock), called also Arish, 
which is under the jurisdiction of Shald. Numerous 
villages and gardens were in sight, the latter being irri- 
gated from the Turyan Chay. Before we had proceeded 
far, the territory of Aq-Dash came to an end, and we 
reached the posthouse of Gok-Chay ( Azure -Biver). 
Here the Governor of the whole country of Bad-Kuba 
and the Shirwans was awaiting us, as this place was the 
first station within his jurisdiction. He was an extremely 
courteous young man of pleasing appearance, Stracelski 
by name. We stopped and changed horses. A large 
concourse of the people of Shirwan and of the Doctors (of 
Law and Divinity) of Islam had come to meet us, and 
with them we had a little conversation. Again we drove 
on, and again to our right was a vast plain, forming part 
of the Shirwans, and irrigated from the river Gok-Chay. 
Many villages were in sight. This is a fertile plain, but 
is very sultry. To our left the same range of mountains 

E E2 



420 Diary of a Tottr in Europe, [chap. vni. 

accompanied us all clay, and so we came to the posthouse 
of Qura-Yazi (Black-Flat), where we changed horses. 
We observed the villages of Qara-Muryan, Yaka-Khana, 
and Gard-Kand, in which the}^ have planted colonies of 
Eussian peasants also ; but they are not places of any 
importance. We next came to the posthouse of Gululu 
(Smiling Village), where we breakfasted, and where we 
received Wlkhman, who was formerly Governor of 
Shamakhi, and who, at the epoch of our journey to 
Rasht, had come there faith Qullbakan the Governor of 
Bad-Kuba. He was as fat as ever. Some Eussian 
families are settled there. 

After breakfast we resumed our travel and passed the 
stream of Kardama {jperliaps the Kurdamir of Monteith), 
which had but little water. The villages of Paclar and 
Galagaylu (of him who comes) were noticed, which are 
portions of the Shir wans. The streams which I have 
mentioned all come down from the mountains of 
Dagistan, which are beyond the chain of hills on our 
left ; and wherever the mountains form valleys and give 
an exit, these waters, flowing along the valleys, pass 
forth into the level lands of Shaki and Shirwan. 

We then came to the post house of Aq-Su (White 
River ; New Shamaka), a village of considerable size 
and importance, having numerous gardens of pome- 
granates, figs, and the like. It much resembles the 
village of Kand near Tehran ; but the gardens of Kand 
are more numerous and extensive than these. The river 
of Aq-Su runs through the midst of the gardens, and 
the larger portion of the village is on the eastern bank of 



chap, viil] Georgia, Return. 421 

the stream. To the west of the stream are the quarters 
of the Hawawiz, and on its east the camping-ground of 
the troops ; all parts of (the jurisdiction of) Shamakhi. 

The village has numerous fruiterers' shops, and others. 
We alighted, partook of some fruit, performed our de- 
votions, and again set out. From hence the road went 
winding and twisting towards the north, and up into 
that very chain of hills that had been on our left hand. 
We therefore ascended the valley of the stream of Aq-Su, 
and first of all a small, but very lofty hill came in sight. 
The carriage road here has been beautifully constructed, 
so that our horses and vehicles travelled along comfort- 
ably, and by degrees we reached the summit of the 
ridge. The other side of the hills was a forest of oak, 
abounding with pheasants. From this summit, proceed- 
ing towards that other side, the whole country is 
mountainous as far as Bad-Kuba. We now took a 
downward course, the sun set, and we arrived at the 
post house of Sharadll, stopped there a short time, and 
again pushed on, so that we got to the town of Shamakhi 
(Monteith's Shamaka).at two hours after sunset. 

Great crowds had assembled, and all parts were illu- 
minated, the people making demonstrations of the greatest 
joy. We alighted. Two sons of Wikhman, one five, 
the other seven } r ears old, and in Circassian costume, 
were standing before the door with Wikhman's wife. 
The Doctors of Islam were drawn up in line ; and 
saluting each one of them, we arrived at the palace, 
which is the property of Lalayaf, an Armenian of 
Shirwan, a man of importance, and wealthy. It was 



422 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. vm. 

formerly the residence of the Governor of Shamakhi, 
but has now been bought by Lalayaf, and overlooks the 
whole town. 

The Armenian and Frank quarters of this place are 
on the upper parts of a hill ; the quarter of the Muslims 
being in a valley, and lower down. Two years before, a 
severe earthquake had occurred and devastated the town, 
which, up to that period, had been very nourishing, and 
even now has a population of three or four thousand 
families, or from ten to fifteen thousand souls. Earth- 
quakes are very frequent. All round the town are hills 
and peaks ; but these are so dry that not a vestige of 
vegetation, trees, or water, exists. A small stream flows 
from the mountains at a lower level than where the town 
stands, and by its means they manage to cultivate a few 
gardens. There is a mosque in the town, dating from 
the clays of Shah- 'Abbas, in which divine service is still 
performed; and a certain Hajji Muhammad Riza has 
also built a mosque and a convent of dervishes, of very 
imposing appearance. The far greater portion of the 
inhabitants of the town and of the country districts are 
Muslims, the Armenians being only a small minority. 
The tombs of Mustafa Khan, of Shirwan, and those of 
his children, are on the summit of an eminence at the 
far side of the town. The palace of Lalayaf commands 
a very beautiful and extensive view. It is built of 
timber. 

Thursday, 11th (Ath September). — Yv r e have to go to 
Bad-Kuba. We rose early, dressed, and mounted our 
carriage. • Great crowds had collected to witness the 



chap, viii.] Georgia, Return. 423 

spectacle. We drove off, and reached the top of an 
uphill- do wndale road, in the cliy valleys of which we 
noticed the homes of a few families of nomade tribes. 
They said they were tribes of Arabs (by descent). The 
first posthouse reached was that of Aji-Chay, a stream 
the water of which is bitter ; then that of Marzi (Marusy), 
a large village occupied by Eussians; then Naqi-Kirpi 
(Nahi-Kopru) ; and next, Jangi, where we breakfasted ; 
then Haltama; and Arbat, which has a stream of the 
same name ; next Sarayi, and then the town of Bad- 
Kuba (Baku). 

The whole road to Bad-Kuba was dry and bad. In 
fact, a plain and mountains so dry and so wretched we 
had neither seen nor heard of. Our journey to-day was 
over a part of the country called, the Burying- Ground — 
a fit name for such a region. 

The Governor of Bad-Kuba was waiting for us at 
Sarayi, with a party of horsemen ; we dined there, and 
reached the town two hours after sunset. As there are 
naphtha pits here, they had this night lighted up the 
whole country and town with lamps of naphtha. Through 
its being night, we did not see the place well ; but, being 
moonlight, we made out that pretty houses are being 
newly built along the seashore in the European st}de. 
The Governor's house, too, looked on to the sea; and 
there we arrived amidst the blessings of a concourse of 
people of various nationalities, and a band playing. I 
first saw Colonel Bazak, and concluded that the steamers 
had arrived with my party from Petrowsky. The Go- 
vernor presented his officers, and after dining we pro- 



424 Diary of a Tour in Europe, [chap. vm. 

ceeded on board the " Constantine." It is a wonderful 
harbour, as large ships can lie alongside the shore. We 
offered our most sincere thanks for having once more 
reached our ship in safety. The Governor and others 
took leave. Our suite were in a vessel named the 
" Shah-Suwar " (king of horsemen — chevaleresque king) ; 
and the Grand-Yazir, our personal attendants, Colonel 
Bazak, Prince Menschikoff, and Bigleroff were with me, 
as also the same admiral as before. In another half 
hour we started with a calm sea and fair wind, so that I 
slept all night. 

The regions of Shaki, Shirwan, and the rest, produce 
excellent camels. Buffaloes are used to draw the carts 
and waggons, as well as other animals ; but the wheels 
of these vehicles are of wood alone, having no iron about 
them. 

Friday, 12th (5th September). — The anniversary festival 
of the birthday of the Prince of Believers 'All son of 
Abu-Talib, on whom be the peace and blessings of God, 
is close at hand ; we must therefore get to Enzeli. When 
I arose early in the morning the sea was most pleasant. 
With the utmost joy we went on until within two or three 
leagues of Enzeli, when we all dressed in our state uni- 
forms, and prepared to reach our destined port. But 
now black clouds were seen to arise from the west and 
south, while the sea began to be disturbed. Still we 
despaired not, but continued our course until we reached 
the roadstead. A Bussian man-of-war named the " Bu- 
khara " had come over from 'Ashur-Ada to do honour to 
our arrival. Through a telescope we could see that she 



chap. Yin. -j Georgia, Rehirn. 425 

was being sadty rocked by the waves, and this alarmed 
us ; for when a large war- ship was thus suffering, how 
could we hope that our vessel would be quiet. A sailing 
merchantman, anchored further in, was tossing about in 
the same way. 

Well ; we reached the anchorage, and the man-of-war 
with great difficulty fired a few guns. The tower of 
Enzeli and the people on the beach were all visible ; but, 
as large ships cannot go clo'ser in, and enter into Enzeli 
itself, it was a matter of necessity for lighters and our 
own small steam-yacht to come out and carry us in. With 
this storm, that was not practicable ; and we therefore 
despondingly left the deck of the steamer, where we could 
no longer stand upright, went into our cabin, took off 
our state clothes, and resigning ourselves to God's decree, 
sat down. The others, who had put on all their orders, 
in like manner threw off their finery in the midst of 
heavings and vomitings, casting themselves down in the 
first corner, from whence they had no power to move. 

It was now two hours to sunset, and heavy rain began 
to pour. The waves rose so that one could not bear to 
look at them, and the ship rolled to that degree that 
the yard-arms touched the water each way. The sea 
broke over the vessel, and she heeled over so fearfully 
that we thought she would capsize and shoot us all 
overboard. At each roll, the chairs, tables, and other 
furniture of the cabin were upset with frightful clatter ; 
and the hull of the ship, with straining, groaned again. 
Little did it want for her to go to pieces. Thus with 
fierce rain from above, and a raging sea below, the ship 



426 ' Diary of a Tour in Etirope. [chap. yiii. 

became full of water; and it was impossible to walk 
about, by reason of her violent movements, and also 
because the planks were so wet that one's feet slipped, 
and could not retain their hold. " Such is the end of 
our tour in Europe ! To be so near home — for our 
tower of Enzeli to be within sight, at a distance to be 
measured by feet, and for one to be in this condition ! 
Should this go on for three days, we shall surely 
drag our anchor, and then there is no port except at 
Langaran ! All these servants and others who have 
come to Enzeli, what will they do?" Such were our 
thoughts ; and so much bitterness did they engender 
that I cannot describe it. I also felt indisposed ; I per- 
spired from agitation and the heat ; the wind struck to 
my chest, and I coughed. Neither was there a chance 
of sleeping, by night or by day, b}^ reason of the storm. 
The rain was unceasing. 

Saturday, 13th (6th September). — In the morning the 
storm and motion of the ship were as before, or even 
worse. The other ship with the princes on board had 
also come in after us and anchored. So things wei^t on 
the whole day — clouds, rain, storm. I slept about two 
hours. Suddenly a cry was raised that a boat had come 
alongside. I rose and saw her with twelve men who had 
undertaken to come out and obtain tidings of us. The 
sea also was a little less agitated, and we were somewhat 
calmed. The Mu'tamad wrote an answer to the missive 
that had been addressed to him. In another hour — it 
being now dawn of the 14th (7th September), a second 
boat came alongside, into which Mahdi-quli Khan and 



chap, viii.] Georgia, Return. 427 

Mirza 'Abdu-'l-'lah cast themselves and went away. 
Morning broke, and other lighters came. Some more of 
our people got away in them. The weather was inclining 
to become fair, and the water of the lagoon had begun to 
flow into the sea. 

At length our steam -yacht came in sight, paddling out 
of the lagoon. She came near; but it was still difficult 
to get from one vessel to the other, as they kept her 
somewhat at a distance. They then brought our barge 
alongside, and somehow or other I got into her, pulled 
to the yacht, and there I was hauled on board by hand. 
Once on deck, I felt safe ; and immediately offering up my 
thanks to the Creator, whose name be glorified, arrived 
at Enzeli. Those who had come from Tehran were 
admitted to an audience ; after which we went to our 
tower, mounted to our apartments, and there again 
poured out our heart in thanks to God. At night there 
was a general illumination, and we slept in peace. 
Praise be unto God Most High ! 




BRADBURY, AG^EV. r , & CO., PRINTERS, WTIITEFRlARf 



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